The Hunters Gospel: According to Chuck
by Alya Kihaku
Summary: The Warren sisters continue the legacy of their family name as they rid the world of supernatural beings, all the while searching for the yellow eyed Demon that killed their mother. When John Winchester comes looking for answers they find themselves more and more involved with his mission for revenge than they ever wanted to be. (DeanXOC & SamXOC)
1. Meet the Warrens

_October 26__th__, 1983_

_Edward &amp; Lorraine Warren's House _

_Charlotte Warren-3_

The room always gave Charlie a stomach ache. Whether she was walking past it or she happened to see her grandparents or her father open the door; it was always the same. She would often peek out at it from her own bedroom door, her eyes locked on the doorknob, willing it not to turn. Whenever she asked the others about it they would tell her not to worry, that it was something she didn't have to think about till she was older. She never understood it but she didn't question it, that being their answer for nearly all her questions.

The first time she went into the room it wasn't of her own free will. She had been walking by with the full intention of getting a cookie from the kitchen when she felt something wrap around her ankle. Letting out a scream that would have alerted the neighbors she was jerked back off her feet and dragged through the open door. Her screams grew louder when the door slammed shut and locked.

"Get off! Get off!" she yelled, kicking against the force as it dragged her to the back of the room. "LET ME GO!" she screamed before the grip disappeared from her leg and she came to stop. She was crying now, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sobbed openly. Letting out several coughs she lifted herself to her knees and looked around the room, scared at what she would find.

If it hadn't of been for the stomach aches it would give her, Charlie would assume that it was just a storage room. Shelves and bookcases were littered and lined with boxes and objects, each varying in size and shape, seeming to have no organization to it. Nothing caused her immediate fright until she looked behind her and spotted the doll.

Sitting in a glass case against the wall there was an antique doll. Her face was cracked and her dress was worn but what caused her to choke on her loud sobs was the doll's eyes.

"Charlotte?!" her father's voice shouted out before something slammed into the door. "Charlotte!"

She tried to look away from the doll but found that she couldn't move at all.

"CHARLOTTE!" her mother screeched.

Charlie was now finding it hard to breathe, the room growing smaller every moment. She was panicking, her mind racing to find a way to break free from the doll's control. Finally, in a desperate attempt, she recited the prayer she often heard her grandmother use.

Angeli custodiunt mihi,

Custodi me a tenebris,

Custodi animam meam in manu Dei;

Duc me ad lucem.

A bright light engulfed the room and Charlie felt herself being moved back towards the door. An almost overwhelming sense of peace and serenity washed over her as she looked to the light. The blurred outline of a figure seemed to be the source of the light, it's head turned just enough to watch her. She tried to speak to the figure but before she could she was pushed out into the hall and into the arms of her waiting family before the door slammed shut.

* * *

_June 15__th__, 1984_

_Nathan and Sophia Warren's House _

_Charlotte Warren-4 _

Her mother and new baby sister had been home from the hospital for two days now. Charlie, fascinated with her new sibling, spent little to no time away from her sister's side. She would often sneak out of her room in the middle of the night to stand by her sister's crib to watch her sleep.

Tonight was no different.

Charlie's hands gripped the bars of the crib, her face pressed between the gap. She was stretched up onto her tip toes with strain, the effort making her legs shake.

"Hello, Charlotte."

She spun around with a quiet yelp, her back hitting the crib. Her eyes widened when the familiar feeling of peace and serenity swept through her. "It's you," she whispered.

The man standing in the center of the room watched her with a soft smile.

"You're the one who saved me."

He gave a subtle nod. "Yes."

She relaxed and allowed a smile of her own to spread across her lips. "Thank you."

A chuckle left the man. "You do not need to thank me, Charlotte," he told me. "Your safety is an utmost concern for me."

"Why?"

His smile widened and he kneeled down in front of her, his hands coming up to gently take her shoulders. "Because I love you and your sister."

Confusion pulled at her little face. "Why?"

"Because you're important to me."

"Why?"

He shook his head softly in an amused fashion. "The reason doesn't matter right now just know that you are."

She thought to question him further but something told her that there was no point to. "Have you seen Courtney yet?" she found herself asking instead.

The man's eyes brightened. "Not yet," he answered. "That is why I came tonight."

"Come on, you gotta see her," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer to the crib.

He peered down into the bottom of the crib, his smile widening even further. "She is beautiful, isn't she?" he asked.

Charlie nodded as she peered through the bars once again. "I love her."

"I love her too," he agreed, reaching into the crib to brush his fingers across her forehead. "She looks just like you and her mother."

"She does?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Huh," she hummed, looking back through the bars. "I want to play with her."

He patted her on the head. "She's a little too young right now," he told her. "You have to be patient."

She let out a disappointed groan but didn't protest. "Alright."

He laughed at that, the sound soft. "It will be alright, Charlotte," he assured her. "You two shall have a happy life together."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Charlotte?"

She looked to the bedroom door when her mother's voice sounded from the hallway, the door opening a moment later.

"What are you doing, Charlotte?" she questioned, leaning against the door jam.

"I was just-" she started, turning to look back up at the man but paused when she didn't find him there.

"Come on, honey, you can see her again in the morning."

Charlotte looked back on her sister as her mother lead her out of the room by the hand, her mind racing with questions of the man.

* * *

_July 11__th__, 1987_

_Nathan and Sophia Warren's House _

_Charlie Warren- 7_

_Courtney Warren- 3_

"Okay, I'm going to count and you're going to hide, alright?" Charlie asked, smiling down at her little sister.

She nodded eagerly.

Charlie covered her eyes and spun around several times before coming to a halt. "1…2….3…4…"

Courtney let out a peel of giggles as she took off for the trees, her mind racing to think of a perfect hiding spot. She dodged trees and fallen branches, her eyes wide with excitement. Charlie's voice was growing fainter and fainter and the urge to hide was growing more insistent.

Courtney stopped when she spotted what looked like the cellar doors at her grandparents' house. She ran over and managed to get one of the doors up and open wide enough for her to slip through. It slammed shut above her, enclosing her into complete darkness. Courtney made her way down the stairs, her eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness. She stepped down and spun in a slow circle, taking in the details of the room.

There were shelves upon shelves of boxes, the labels listing several foods with the words 'freeze dried' following. On the far wall there was a set of bunk beds, each sporting a blanket and solitary pillows. Looking back she found what looked like her dad's work bench, tools and other dangerous looking thinks cluttering the work top. She also recognized the toys her dad never let her play with hanging on the wall.

She hummed happily to herself as she wondered the space, a skip in her step. "Charwie won't find me here," she whispered, her smile splitting her face.

Pausing by the bunk beds she was more than pleased to find a coloring book and a set a crayons hidden under the bottom bed. Flipping open to a page she began her masterpiece.

***1 hour later***

Courtney frowned as she flipped through the book once again, hoping to find a blank page but having no luck. She blew out a raspberry and got to her feet, a little disappointed that Charlie hadn't found her yet. She climbed up the stairs and braced her hands against the door to push. She grunted and groaned as she tried with all her strength to lift the door. A distraught whimper escaped her as she gave up.

"Charwie?!" she called, hoping her sister was near. "Charwie!"

No returned call followed.

"CHARWIE!" she screamed. "CHARWIE!"

She was greeted with more silence.

"CHARWIE, HEWP! HEWP! HEWP!"

"Courtney."

A startled yelp left her and she spun around, her foot twisting off the step and knocking her off balance. A scream left her as she prepared to take the impact of the fall but was pleasantly surprised when a pair of arms caught her.

"Are you arlight?"

She looked up to the voice and found startling bright green eyes staring down at her. Her first reaction was to panic, to pull out of the man's arms but a sense of peace and serenity filled her.

"Are you alright?" he repeated.

She nodded and sniffed loudly. "I'm okay."

"Good," he said, righting her and placing her gently onto the stairs. "Courtney, what are you doing down here?" he demanded, his voice gentle.

"I was pwaying hide and seek with Charwie," she answered with a sniff. "I got stuck."

He laughed and brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm glad you're alright," he told her. "Lets get you back to your sister," he said before reaching up and pushing against the doors, the wood lifting easily.

Courtney scurried out and onto the leaf covered forest floor, surprised to see that the sun was going down.

The man followed after, letting the door drop back before holding his hand out to her. "Come on, little on."

Courtney took his hand with no hesitation, the warmth spreading through her once again. "How did you know my name?" she questioned, looking up at him as he lead her through the trees.

He smiled down at her. "I've known you since you were just a baby," he told her. "I don't expect you to remember me."

She squinted at him, her little face scrunching up as she struggled to place his face. After a moment of thought she shook her head. "Nope."

A startled laugh left him as he shook his head. "You remind me of your mother."

She seemed to perk up at the compliment. "Reawy?"

The man nodded. "You and Charlie are very much like her," he praised. "It's almost terrifying, honestly."

She giggled at that, finding the idea of her sister being tarrying funny. "What are-"

"Courtney?!" Charlie's voice rang out, echoing through the forest. "Courtney, where are you?!"

"Charwie!" Courtney screeched elatedly, pulling free from the man and running to her sister, arms up for a tackle.

Charlie turned just in time to see her sister throw herself forward, her arms raised just in time to catch her before they fell back. She let out a groan as her sister's weight crashed down onto her, her ribs protesting. "Where have you been?" she demanded once she regained her breath.

"Hiding!" Courtney answered, pulling away to prop herself on Charlie's chest. "I got stuck but he saved me."

Charlie's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "He?" she asked. "He who?"

Courtney twisted around and looked back to where the man had been standing, her smile falling when she found that he was no longer there. "He was there," she stated.

A wide smile stretched across Charlie's face as she looked between the spot and her sister. "Don't worry, he disappears all the time."

She looked back down at her. "Reawy?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"Is he our guardian angew?"

Charlie thought back to the prayer she had recited when she first met him and nodded. "Yeah, yeah he is."

* * *

_September 23__rd__, 1988_

_The 1966 Ford Mustang _

_Charlie Warren- 8_

_Courtney Warren- 4_

The freeway street lamps flew past the car windows, the stars blurring along with them. The heater in the car had been cranked high in an attempt to counteract the torn back window of the soft top. A blanket was thrown across the back seat, covering the two huddled little girls, the youngest asleep.

"Dad, where are we going?" Charlie asked, keeping her voice low so as to not wake her sister.

Nathan glanced back at her in the rearview mirror. "You and Courtney are going to stay with a friend," he answered, his voice just as soft.

"Who?"

"Just a friend, sweetheart."

Charlie was quiet for a moment before she looked back up. "Where's Mom?"

He let out a sigh, his hands tightening around the steering wheel. "You already know, sweetheart."

Charlie's frown deepened. "I'm sorry, I forgot."

"That's okay, sweetheart," he assured her.

She looked down to Courtney, watching her for a moment, happy that her sister was finally able to sleep. "When will we get there?"

"An hour," he answered.

"And it's just me and Courtney staying?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's better for everyone."

"Why?"

"Because it is, Charlie."

"Why?"

"Charlie, sweetheart, please, Dad needs some quiet," he sighed out, his voice showing just how tired he was.

She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth. "Sorry."

A small groan left him as he looked back at her in the mirror once again. "Don't apologize, sweetheart, asking questions is a good thing. Dad just doesn't feel well."

Concern replaced her shame. "What's wrong?"

"My heart hurts."

"Because of Mom?"

Nathan swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah, because of Mom."

"Will it get better?"

"No, sweetheart, it won't."

"Why?"

"Because it's broken, Charlie, and a broken heart never stops hurting."

"Oh," she hummed. "I'm sorry."

"Me too, sweetheart, me too."

***1 Hour Later***

Charlie's worry peaked when they pulled off the road and up a graveled way, the rocks against the tires making a noise she knew she would never forget. Courtney's small body was still pressed against her side, their shared heat making the blanket over them a safe haven against the night air. Nathan hadn't spoken a word since his and Charlie's conversation, only glancing back at the girls in the rearview mirror whenever they went over a bump or took a turn. The guilty look in his eyes hadn't lessened but only increased the longer they drove. Charlie couldn't help but let that nag at her.

"We're here."

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to her father. She looked past him and out the windshield, her eyes widening when she saw the house in front of them. "Wow," she found herself breathing.

The mansion stood at least 5 stories tall with enough square footage to house several football games simultaneously. The design of the place was something out of a fairytale, Cinderella coming to mind.

Charlie prodded her elbow into her sister's side, effectively waking her from her nap.

"What, Charlie?" she asked, her voice grouchy from her disturbed sleep.

"Look," she instructed, gesturing to the window.

Courtney did just that, her eyes going wide when she saw the wonder. "Wow," she breathed just as Charlie had.

Nathan slowed to a stop at the front entry way, throwing the car into park and turning the engine off. "Come on, girls," he said as he pushed open his door and stepped out.

Charlie opened her door and turned back to help her sister out. She reached back in and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around Courtney's shoulders seeing as she was only wearing her Snoopy T-Shirt.

Both girls looked over when their father slammed the trunk closed, several suitcases and duffel bags burdening him. "This way," he said before heading towards the front door. Charlie looped her arm around Courtney and pulled her along, her eyes fixed on her father.

"Where are we, Charlie?" Courtney whispered, huddling closer.

Charlie hesitated, not sure on how to go about telling her sister that their father was leaving them with a stranger. "We're staying with a friend of Dad's," she answered, forcing herself to smile. "It's okay."

Courtney watched her for a moment, seeming to pick up on Charlie's unease. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You're lying to me," Courtney accused.

Charlie let out a defeated sigh. "Yes and no," she allowed.

Courtney huffed and looked back to her dad. "Daddy, where are we?" she asked.

He glanced back at them, pausing on the steps. "At a friend's house, princess," he told her.

"Why?"

"Because you and Charlie are going to be staying here for a while."

"Why?"

Nathan chuckled, once again amazed by how much the sisters were alike. "Because it's better for everyone."

She pouted at that, her fists pulling the blanket tighter around her. "That's a stupid answer."

Nathan's eyebrows shot up but he didn't argue with her, simply giving a nod and continuing up the stairs.

"Come on," Charlie muttered, pulling her along.

Nathan grabbed a hold of the chain that hung by the massive door and pulled, a loud clang of bells sounding. He adjusted the straps of the bags as they waited, his shoulders tense and his head hung.

The silence that followed was nearly maddening, the silent questions of the girls and the refused answers of their father clogging the night air and creating a certain breed of anxiety. A relief swept over them when the door opened and a figure stepped out to greet them.

"Why hello!"

Both girls jumped at the sudden outburst, huddling closer to each other.

"I wasn't expecting you till the morning."

Nathan nodded. "I know, I know," he said, "but I need to get started. I hope its okay."

The man nodded. "Of course, of course," he answered, moving aside and waving them in. "Everything is taken care of."

Nathan marched forward and disappeared into the house.

The man looked back to the girls, a smile pulling at his face. "In you come, girls," he said, gesturing them after their father.

They did so with hesitation, their eyes locking on their father as they rushed to follow behind him. The parlor they found themselves in was rick in dark wood and furniture that looked like it belonged in a museum. A fireplace that would have comfortably cooked both small girls war roaring with a fire, the light swimming throughout the room.

Nathan dropped the bags beside the couch and turned his attention back to his daughters. "Girls, I want you to meet an old friend of mine," he said, nodding to the man who had answered the door. "This is Godfrey."

He was a tall man with a head of unruly curls and surprisingly warm brown eyes. He was dressed like one would expect the owner of a mansion to dress. He wore a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a light grey waist coat over it. While his overall appearance was strange enough, the strangest part were the red and blue stripped socks peeking out from under his black slacks.

Pulling in a calming deep breath Charlie stuck her hand out towards him. "Charlie," she told him.

A bright smile stretched across his face as he knelt down in front of them, his hand taking Charlie's. "It is wonderful to meet you, Charlie," he stated.

"Godfrey what?" Courtney demanded, her tone challenging.

He let out a startled laugh and looked over to the smaller girl. "It's just Godfrey, my dear."

Her face scrunched up. "So it's Godfrey Godfrey?"

He gave a nod. "If you like," he allowed.

She didn't seem impressed as she stuck her hand out like Charlie had. "Well I'm Courtney. Courtney Warren."

"And a pleasure to meet you, Courtney," he said, taking her hand.

Her nose wrinkled. "You talk weird."

"I do," he agreed with a nod. "I'm from Scotland."

"I don't know what that is."

Another startled laugh left him at that. "Well we'll have to fix that."

Charlie once again glanced around the room, taking in as many details as she could. "You own this place?" she questioned, finding it hard to believe that it belonged to just one person.

He nodded. "Yes I do," he answered proudly.

"Why?"

He faltered slightly. "Why what?"

"Why do you own it?"

He blinked several times as he thought that through. "Because I wanted to," he decided, his eyebrows furrowed.

"It's huge," she accused.

"Yes is it."

"Have you been in every room?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Did you make a list?"

"Uh, no."

"Then how do you know if you've been in every room if you don't keep track of them?" she demanded, fixing him with a genuine curiosity.

Godfrey watched her for a moment before he looked up to Nathan. "You weren't kidding about them, were you?"

Nathan shook his head with a smile that could almost be called prideful. "You have to watch yourself with them, they'll talk you in circles."

"Well that keeps things interesting, doesn't it?" he asked, flashing the girls a smile. "We'll have intellectual conversations galore."

They awkwardly smiled back.

Nathan checked his watch and let out a sigh. "I should get going," he mused, having the common decency to sound reluctant.

Charlie and Courtney turned their attention to their father, solemn expressions on their faces.

He sighed as he dropped to his knees in front of them, his hands coming up to rest on their shoulders. "You two are going to be just fine. Godfrey's going to look after you and you're going to look after each other."

They nodded at that.

"I'll call and I'll visit whenever I can," he assured them. "You'll be good, won't you?"

They nodded again.

"I love you girls, you know that, don't you?" he asked, his voice going soft.

Charlie could have sworn that he had tears in his eyes. "I love you too, Dad," she said.

"Yeah, I love you, Daddy," Courtney agreed, moving forward to throw her arms around his neck.

He let out a long sigh as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his other arm pulling Charlie to him. He held onto the sisters for several moments before pulling away and getting back to his feet. "Thanks again, Godfrey, for doing this," he said, stepping forward his had hand extended.

Godfrey returned to his feet and took Nathan's hand. "It's my pleasure. They're wonderful children."

Nathan nodded with a weak smile and cleared his throat. "I'll call ya when I get there," he promised.

"Be careful."

A small chuckled left that man at that. "I'll try my best," he said before looking back to his daughters. "Bye, girls."

"Bye," they chorused, little to no enthusiasm in their voices.

He watched them for a moment longer before he pulling in a deep breath and all but marched out of the room.

A feeble whimper escaped Courtney as her eyes welled with tears.

Godfrey let out a sympathetic groan when he saw her and gestured to the curtain covered windows. "You can watch him leave, my darling," he told her, his voice soft.

The small girl sprinted over, Charlie not too far behind her, and threw aside the curtains blocking her view. She pressed her face to the glass, her panicked breathing fogging up the glass.

Charlie stood behind her sister with the curtain clutched in her hand to keep it out of Courtney's way. Her jaw was clenched tight and her eyes were narrowed, a valiant effort to keep the tears from appearing. Her free arm came up and wrapped around her sister's shoulders when her sobbing became more apparent, regretting that it was the only comfort she could muster at the present.

The two girls watched with their first taste of abandonment as Nathan started the engine and peeled off down the driveway, leaving a cloud of dirt and gravel in his wake.

* * *

_December 23__rd__, 1993_

_Bridgeport, CT Godfrey's House _

_Charlie Warren- 13_

_Courtney Warren- 9_

The youngest Warren woke to the familiar sound of the Mustang. She leapt out of bed with a gasp and ran out into the hall, her little fists pounding of the door that was across from her own.

"Charlie! Charlie, wake up!" she shouted, the excitement clear in her voice.

A frustrated groan sounded from inside the room before the door flew open and an irate Charlie stood in front of her. "What? What is it?" she demanded.

Courtney smiled up at her. "Dad's back!"

Charlie blinked several times before a small smile pulled at her own face. "Alright, come on," she said, stepping out into the hall.

An excited laugh escaped Courtney as she took off running towards the front door.

Charlie rolled her eyes and followed after her, amazed that there was that much energy in the little body. She took her time on the stairs, making sure to grip the railing so she didn't trip herself and fall to her death. She shuffled across the front foyer towards the door the parlor only to stop when she saw Courtney standing in front of the closed door with an expression of pure shock. "Courtney?" she asked.

She shook her head and pressed a finger to her lips.

Charlie grimaced and rushed down the stairs, making extra sure to keep quiet. She stepped up behind her sister and pressed her ear to the door.

_"You should have told them, Nathan." _

_ "How do you tell them something like that? How do you tell them that the man who raised them, the man who's supposed to take care of them; isn't their father?"_

"What?!" the word had left both girls before they had time to think about.

Courtney, figuring that they were already caught, opened the door and barged in. "What?" she repeated.

"Real smooth, Court," Chrarlie muttered to herself and stepped into the room, fixing a glare on both men.

Nathan's mouth was opening and closing in a rather impressive impression of a fish out of water. "G-girls," he stuttered out. "I, uh…."

Courtney folded her arms across her chest. "The question was 'what'," she reminded them.

Godfrey let out a sigh and shook his head. "Just tell them," he implored. "They deserve to know."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at that. "Is this the part where you tell us that we're adopted?"

A defeated laugh left him at that as he shook his head. "No, you two aren't adopted."

"Then what? Mom had an affair?"

"Not exactly."

"What?!" Courtney exclaimed once again.

A humorless snort left her. "Yeah, how did Mom 'not exactly' have an affair?" she defended, going as far to make the quotation marks.

Nathan looked to Godfrey, a pleading look on his face.

Godfrey threw his hands up as he dropped down into one of the chairs.

He glared at him before looking back to the girls. "She….she didn't know."

Charlie paled at that as a knot started in her stomach. "Shifter?"

"What?!" Courtney panicked.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Do either of you show characteristics of a Shifter?"

The sisters looked to each other, both analyzing.

"You're not Shifters," Nathan told them.

"Demon spawn?" Courtney asked.

He shot her a surprised look. "What? No. You're Nephilim."

The two girls looked back to him with wide eyes. "Nephilim?" they asked together.

He nodded. "They're-"

"The children of Humans and Angels, yeah, we know," Charlie stated, fixing a glare on Godfrey. "We just finished a report on them."

Nathan joined Charlie in glaring at the man. "A report?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry!" Godfrey burst out. "They're starting to hear and see things! What was I supposed to do?"

"Godfrey!" both girls snapped.

"I'm sorry!"

A moment of tense silence took over the room, giving the four enough time to calm down.

Nathan pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The doctors told us that we couldn't have kids," he said. "Sophia wanted to keep trying so we did and months later we had Charlie. I didn't understand it and neither did the doctors but your mother couldn't have been happier. Four years later we got Courtney too."

"Now hang on," Godfrey spoke up. "Angles need consent before taking a vessel."

Nathan nodded with a sigh. "Before we had Charlie I was having these dreams," he explained. "I would have this conversation with myself and it would always end with me asking if I would do anything to have kids and I would always say yes. Does that count as consent?"

Godfrey considered it for a moment before pulling a face. "Eh, in a pinch maybe," he allowed.

"In a pinch?" he asked. "It went on for months."

"I've never claimed to understand them."

"To get back on subject," Charlie interrupted. "If you didn't know and Mom didn't know then how did you find out?"

He looked back to them, that startled sadness back in his eyes. "It told me at the hospital," he answered. "Just after your mother….." he trailed off to clear his throat. "It told me that it had answered her prayers; that Heaven wanted you two born."

Courtney's eyebrows shot up. "So we're miracle babies?" she asked, sounding skeptic.

"You hear voices? See things?"

She nodded. "The voices repeat themselves mostly. Like a broken record. Most of the time what they say doesn't make sense but sometimes we'll see some of the names they say on the news. They're usually dead."

"Some people's faces don't look right," Charlie chimed in. "They're distorted, sometimes blurred. We'll see shadows where there shouldn't be and every now and again we'll see what I hope are Demons."

He didn't seem too pleased but it didn't seem to surprise him. "When did this start?"

"After Mom died," they both answered.

Now that surprised him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We thought it was normal because of Grandma," Charlie answered with a shrug.

A defeated sigh left him at that, nodding slowly. "Technically it is normal; at least for you two," he answered. "Nephilim are powerful. Some legends say even more powerful than their celestial parent, but there haven't been enough born to really find out."

"So, we're not Human."

The statement had been said by the youngest Warren, her voice a tone of acceptance that no nine year old should have.

Nathan shook his head. "No, princess, not completely."

Charlie watched her sister for a moment before turning her attention back to Nathan. "What was the Angel's name? Did it tell you?"

He sighed. "Zadkiel."

"The archangel who stopped Abraham from killing Isaac?"

He nodded with a shrug. "That's what he said."

"Maybe he has a soft spot for kids?" Courtney suggested, sounding almost hopeful.

Charlie shook her head. "No, no, he told you that Heaven wanted us born?"

"That's right."

"Then he didn't just answer Mom's prayers," she stated. "They knew us, they knew us before we even existed."

"Charlie-"

"Nephilim are rare, right?" she asked. "And Angels aren't supposed to have any earthly desires so there had to have been a reason they made sure we were born. They know something."

"Charlie-"

"You're thinking the same thing," she protested, pointing at him. "It's why you never told us."

Nathan floundered once again before looking back to Godfrey. "A little help?"

The man looked between his friend and the girls several times before letting out a sigh. "There's nothing we can do about it," he said. "If they wanted to cause you harm then they would have before now."

"But-" Charlie started.

"This is Heaven we're talking about, my dear, I doubt they mean you or your sister any malice," he assured him.

Her jaw clenched as she thought that through. "But they have plans for us," she stated.

"Undoubtedly, yes."

"Godfrey!" Nathan snapped, glaring at him.

He threw his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry! But there's no use in lying to them at this point, is there?" he asked. "They're able girls. They can handle themselves."

"I know they're able girls. They take after their mother."

Small smiles twitched on the girls lips at the praise.

"So we're just going to wait and see what happens, then?" Charlie asked expectantly.

The two men nodded.

She let out a disappointed sigh. "Fine," she allowed. "Courtney, any closing questions?" she wondered, looking to her little sister.

Courtney seemed to think for a moment before she shook her head. "No. Not about that," she answered.

Charlie nodded. "Agreed. What topic would you like to discuss now?"

The youngest Warren looked up to her father and fixed him with that no-nonsense stare of hers. "What killed Mom?"

Nathan had visibly froze at that, his eyes widening. "What?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "What killed Mom?"

"It's a fair question," Charlie stated with a shrug. "You brought her up first."

Nathan seemed to understand that and nodded slowly, his eyes dropping to the floor. "We were on a hunt," he started, clearing his throat, "and it wasn't what we thought it was. It looked like just the typical cross roads deals, you know? It should have been easy. It was a Lessor Demon. Just an exorcism."

Charlie's stomach had begun to knot. "What was it?" she asked, her voice softer than she had wanted it to be.

He shook his head. "I still don't really know," he answered with a slightly bitter laugh. "It was a Demon and it had yellow eyes but…." he trailed off.

Courtney shook her head. "That's all you know?"

"Yes."

"That's practically nothing."

"I know."

Charlie let out a snort. "Well we need to change that," she stated.

His head snapped up to her. "What?"

"We're going to help you figure out what the Hell this things is," she stated. "And hopefully, at some point in one of our lives, we can kill it."

He shook his head. "No, no I can't ask that of you," he denied. "This thing has destroyed enough of your lives already, I won't let it-"

"We're going to help whether you let us or not," Courtney butted in with factual tone.

Charlie nodded in agreement. "Cause like you said, this thing has destroyed most of our lives," she mused. "We're not going to let it destroy the rest of it."

Nathan floundered.

"It's just like they said, they're going to help whether you let them or not," Godfrey said with a sigh. "And knowing those two they're going to hold true to that."

Nathan ran a hand over his face before nodding in a reluctant manner. "Alright, fine," he allowed. "But we need to set up ground rules if we're going to do this."

Both girls nodded, bright smiles on their faces.

"Okay," he sighed. "Uh, why don't you girls go back to bed and we'll talk about this in the morning?" he suggested.

Courtney was about to protest but stopped when Charlie let out a rather loud yawn.

"Come on, Court," she said, reaching to ruffled her little sister's hair. "It's too early to talk about Demons."

The younger Warren sighed. "Fine," she relented before rushing forward and throwing her arms around Nathan. "Goodnight, Daddy. I'm glad you're back."

Nathan's smile spread across his lips as his arms came up and pulled her to him. "I'm glad I'm back too, princess," he told her, bending down and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Goodnight, Uncle Godfrey," she said as she pulled away from her father and stepped over to him.

He smiled warmly and pulled her into a hug. "Goodnight, my dear."

She looked expectantly at her sister as she headed towards the door.

"I'll be up in a second, kiddo," Charlie told her, flashing her a smile.

Courtney nodded and continued out the room.

Charlie watched her go and only looked back to the men once she was out of ear shot. "So besides the obvious, everything's okay?" she asked.

Her father seemed to nod out of reflex. "Yeah, everything's fine. Besides the obvious."

"So you rushed here in the middle of the night because you were having a crisis about not telling us you're only technically half our father?" she asked, sounding far from convinced.

He nodded again. "Yes."

She pursed her lips before letting out sigh. "Whatever. It's too early for this," she stated. "Goodnight, all," she said, giving a halfhearted wave and following after her sister.

"Goodnight!" the two men chorused after her.

She closed the door the parlor and leaned back against it, her eyes slipping closed for a moment or two before she went up the stairs. She shuffled down the hallway and stopped in the doorway of Courtney's room, a smile pulling at her lips when she found the younger girl reaching for a book on one of the shelves. "Come on, Munchkin, back in bed."

Courtney looked back at her. "But I just remembered this book I found a few months ago. It had a bunch of Demon names in it," she explained, her tone almost pleading.

Charlie sighed and stepped into the room. "Which one is it?" she asked.

"The red leather one," she answered, pointing to a book that was at least a foot too far for her to reach.

Charlie pulled it down and read the title. "Court, this is the Book of Enoch."

She nodded and took it out of her hands. "I know that," she stated, walking over to her bed and plopping down. "There's a bunch of Demon names in here and I want to show Daddy and Uncle Godfrey."

Her eyebrows had raised but she nodded nonetheless. "Okay, but it's gotta wait till morning," she told her, taking the book back and setting it on the nightstand. "Promise you won't stay up and read it?"

Courtney huffed, as if insulted at the accusation. "Yes."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Good, now back in," she instructed, grabbing hold of the covers and pulling them down.

Courtney threw herself back into the middle of the bed and settled in, her arms going around the floppy eared stuffed dog she often slept with, Gruff, if Charlie remembered correctly. "Do you think Daddy will really let us help?"

Charlie brought the covers back up and tucked them around her. "Yeah, I think he will," she answered.

"Do you think we'll find it?"

Charlie let out a soft laugh. "There aren't any 'if's about it. We're going to find it and we're going to kill it."

"For Mom?" she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

Charlie didn't hesitate to nod. "Yeah, for Mom. And for Dad, and for us."

Courtney nodded at that and snuffled further down into the bed. "Goodnight, Charlie."

"Goodnight, kiddo," she said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead before she turned off the bedside lamp and walking to the door. "See you in the morning," she whispered as she pulled it closed. She made the short trek across the hall and into her own room, kicking the door closed before flopping face first onto the bed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The room remained silent.

She let out a suffering sigh. "I know you can hear me," she stated. "You always do."

A soft glow filled the room before it quickly faded.

"Hello, Charlotte."

"Hello, Zadkiel," she greeted back, turning her head enough to look at him. "So when I told Courtney all those years ago that you were our Guardian Angel, I wasn't lying?"

"No, you weren't."

A humorless laugh left her. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

He fixed her with a knowing look. "Would you have believed me?"

Her eyebrows pulled together. "I just said that-"

"Really believed me?" he cut in. "You're a skeptical person, Charlotte. Even if you believed what I said there would always be a part of you that wouldn't."

She hated how right he was. "Well I believe it now," she stated.

"So it seems," he mused. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the bed.

She shrugged the best she could, scooting over to him enough room.

He walked over and sat heavily onto the side of the bed, a sigh leaving him. "I've wanted to tell you since I first spoke with you," he admitted, his head lowering as he looked at the floor.

"Why didn't you?"

"You know why, Charlotte," he stated.

She grumbled and buried her face back into the pillow.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she said, her voice muffled. "It could be worse. I mean, we could be half Shifters. Or Demons."

He nodded. "That is true," he mused. "I don't suppose you would want to learn?"

She looked back up at him. "Learn what?"

A soft smile pulled at his lips. "To be who you are," he answered. "A Nephilim."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "There's a manual?"

Zadkiel chucked at that. "Some things will come naturally but not everything," he told her. "Some things must be learned."

"And you're going to teach us?"

"If you wish."

Charlie pursed her lips in thought before she nodded. "I wish it," she stated.

"Then I shall," he said, his smile going wider.

* * *

_August 7__th__, 2004_

_Bridgeport, CT Godfrey's house _

_Charlie- 24_

_Courtney- 20_

It was well past midnight and Charlie still couldn't sleep. She had been in library since the early morning, spending the day going through book after book and only slowing down to eat whatever Courtney decided to bring her. The table she had chosen was covered in leather bound books, some stacked as high as five while others laid open. She was halfway through her twentieth book when the doors swung open and Godfrey swept in, a man she had never seen before following behind him.

He was tall, standing at least 6'1. His dark clothes were well worn and his boots were surprisingly well taken care of, the leather shining in the dim light the fire and lamps provided. He had salt and pepper hair with what looked like a week's worth of stubble covering the lower half of his face.

Charlie had never seen a man who looked so mentally heavy.

"Please, have a seat and I'll go fetch refreshments," Godfrey said, gesturing to one of the armchairs by the fireplace.

The man gave him a small nod and took the offered seat, slumping forward with his elbows resting on his knees as he stared into the flames.

Godfrey retreated from the room, the double doors closing behind him with a soft thud.

Charlie watched him for a moment, taking stock of every sigh and uncomfortable shift of weight. "What's your question?" she found herself asking.

The man startled and jumped up from his seat, his large body moving into a defensive stance as he spun to face her. "What?" he asked, his voice gruff.

She tilted her head to the side as she studied his stance. "People come to Godfrey because they want an answer to a question," she told him, flipping closed her Parapsychology textbook and reclining back into her chair. "So, what's your question?"

He hesitated, watching her just like she had him before he relaxed slightly. "I want to find the thing that killed my wife."

Charlie considered it for a moment. "That might take a while," she warned him

"I've waited 21 years," he told her. "I can wait a little longer."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't seem like a patient man to me."

A humorless laugh left him as he shook his head. "I'm not," he agreed, "but I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"No, not really," she mused.

"I just want this to be over," he sighed, dropping back down into the chair, a hand coming up to scrub across his face.

Charlie pursed her lips and considered tact but as per usual she decided against it. "How did your wife die?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat again. "It…." He trailed off to clear his throat, "it pinned her to the ceiling and burned her alive."

A knot twisted in her stomach at the familiarity of it but didn't allow herself to speculate. "What did it look like?"

He shook his head. "I never saw it."

"Then what do you know?" she pressed.

He cleared his throat again. "Demon," he answered. "I know that sounds-"

"How did you find out it was a Demon?" she interrupted. "If you never saw it?"

He shrugged. "Process of illumination," he explained. "I've been all over the states, talked to a lot of people, a lot of psychics and all of them are telling me it was something demonic. I've never believed it but I'm getting desperate."

Charlie tilted her head to the side. "Why have you never believed it?"

"Because Demons aren't real."

It was Charlie's turn to laugh. "Oh that's unfortunate."

"Why?"

"Because Demons are the cockroaches of the supernatural world," she told him. "They've been on Earth as long as the Human race has and they've been causing chaos just as long," she explained. "I'm surprised you've never had to exorcise anyone."

"I've seen exorcisms," he stated.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at that. "And you still don't believe in demons?"

He shrugged. "I just assumed that Hunters called something a Demon when they didn't know what to call it," he explained.

A snort left her at that. "If only that were true," she mused shaking her head. "No, Demons are very much real and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if it was a Demon that killed your wife."

He seemed to brighten at that. "Do you think Godfrey can find it?"

Charlie sighed. "That depends," she told him.

"On what?"

"On how far you're willing to go."

He shook his head. "I'll go as far as I have to."

Charlie flashed him a wide smile. "Then there shouldn't be a problem," she assured him. "You didn't see the Demon?"

"No."

"Then what did you see?"

His brightened expression dropped into a glare. "My wife pinned to the ceiling on fire," he answered, his tone hard.

She glared at him. "And there's no chance that you saw something else? Something you don't remember seeing because your wife was on fire?" she challenged.

He bristled at that but didn't get defensive like she had expected him to be. "I've learned that anything is possible," he allowed.

Charlie pursed her lips at that. "Would you mind me seeing?" she questioned.

"Seeing what?"

She hesitated. "It's something I can do," she started, putting on a soft smile, "something that allows me to see people's memories untarnished."

His eyebrows shot up. "You're a mind reader?"

She wrinkled her nose at that. "Not in the traditional sense," she told him. "It's just a matter of going as far as you have to."

"It'll help?"

She shrugged. "It has the potential to."

His jaw clenched at that but after a quick moment of consideration he nodded. "Fine."

Charlie pushed away from the table and walked over to him, taking a seat on the cushioned bench that rounded the fireplace. "I'm not going to lie and tell you that it's not going to hurt because it mostly likely will," she told him. "The farther back the memory is the harder I have to dig and there's also a chance of me having to repair it."

"Just do it."

She gave a small nod and raised her hands to press her hands to his temples, her eyes locked with his, the dark brown reflecting the glow that emitted from hers. Charlie pulled in a deep breath before mentally pushing forward.

_She was suddenly standing in a living room clearly from the 70's. The TV was showing some war documentary, the sounds of guns and explosions filling the otherwise quiet house. She looked behind her and found the stranger asleep on a recliner, his face considerably younger and less taxed. A jolt shot thought her when a scream erupted from upstairs. _

_ The stranger jerked away and threw himself out of the chair. "Mary?" he called as he ran for the stairs. "Mary!" _

_ Charlie followed after him, the dread already building in her stomach. _

_ He burst into the room on the far right. "Mary?" he asked, looking the room over for any danger. A soft sigh left him when he didn't find anything and walked over to the crib that sat in the middle. _

_ Charlie stepped over and looked down at the baby laying there, a small smile twitching at her lips. _

_ "Hey, Sammy," the man greeted, smiling down at his son. "You okay?" _

_ The baby smiled and continued to wiggle under the blanket. _

_ Charlie almost considered being relieved when she spotted the spot of red next to Sammy's head. _

_ The stranger noticed it to and reached out to dab at it, confusion pulling at his face. It wasn't till several red dots of his own appeared on the back of his hand did he become worried. _

_ Knowing that the blood could have only come from one place she looked up and resisted the urge to scream. _

_ Plastered to the ceiling was a rather beautiful blonde woman, her white nightgown sporting a belt of red from her sliced stomach. _

_ "No! Mary!" the man yelled, having found what Charlie had. He fell to the nursery floor in shock. _

_ Charlie flinched when the flames sprouted from behind her, quickly engulfing her and the ceiling. _

_ The stranger jumped up when Sammy had begun to cry and scooped him out of the crib. _

_ She was forced to follow him back out into the hallway, the scene in the nursery getting vaguer and vaguer. _

_ "Daddy!" _

_ She jerked her attention back to the man when the voice sounded, finding herself a little surprised when she saw the young boy standing in front of his father. _

_ "Take your brother outside as fast as you can! Don't look back!" the man told him, handing the boy his brother. "Go, Dean! Now!" _

_ The boy did just that, taking off down the hall with a slight panicked calm. The watched him go before rushing back to the nursery. _

_ The fire had crawled down the walls and Mary's body was all but gone._

_ Charlie raised her hand and the scene before her stopped. The flames froze and the stranger became still, the look of panic on his face now looking permanent. She scanned the room, taking in every detail she could, anything she would consider odd. Disappointingly the room seemed normal enough till a pair of eyes in the flames caught her attention. Her stomach rolled as she stepped across the room towards them, silently praying that she was just seeing things. She was having trouble breathing by the time she was standing in front of them, the air stuck in her throat. _

_ "Yellow eyes?" she asked, surprised that she had spotted them against the colors of the flames. _

_ The flames jumped to life again and she was engulfed._

The man let out a gasp as Charlie jerked her hands away from him. He shot up from the chair and paced over towards the windows, his hand coming up to run over his face.

Charlie crammed her eyes shut as she worked through the memory once again, the twisted knot that ahd become her stomach getting tighter the more she thought about it.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and you've already upset out guest."

She cracked an eye open and found Godfrey striding back into the room, a tray holding a tea set clutched in his hands. "You're the one who took his time fetching the refreshments," she shot back, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

He ignored her comment and turned his attention to the man. "Are you alright, John?" he asked, setting the tray onto the desk Charlie had previously been at.

The man, John, pulled in a shuttered breath and nodded. "I'm fine," he answered, sighing heavily before turning back around and looking to Charlie. "What are you?" he all but demanded.

She glared at him. "That's rude," she stated.

He glared back at her. "I just let you dig around in my head," he said, sounding awfully defensive. "Your eyes glowed for fucks sake!"

"Now, John," Godfrey warned, frowning at the man.

"Are you a witch?"

Charlie snorted before she could stop herself. "No, I'm not a witch."

"Then what?!"

The rustling of large wings was the answer.

John's eyes widened as he took in the wings that were suddenly attached to the woman's back. They stretched nearly twenty-five feet from tip to tip, the feathers a cardinals coloring. "You're an Angel," he breathed.

"Only half," she corrected, her wings folding down against her back before disappearing once again. "Do you feel better now?"

He shook his head. "Angels aren't real."

"Don't be so one sided, John," she chastised. "If evil exists then the good has to as well, it's a simple balance. Besides, thanks to me I know what Demon you're looking for."

John seemed to like that fact. "You do?"

Charlie nodded and looked over to Godfrey. "We need to show him the War Room."

Godfrey's jaw dropped open as he looked between her and John. "Really?"

"Really," she repeated with a sigh. "I'll grab Courtney and meet you down there," she said, getting up and heading for the door.

"Right," Godfrey agreed.

* * *

"And you're sure it's the same Demon?" Courtney asked for the hundredth time.

Charlie rolled her eyes and pulled open the gate for the elevator. "How many Demons do you know that have yellow eyes?" she demanded.

"Well we don't know, do we?" she countered back, stepping and leaning against the back wall. "There could be a whole species of them. Or a family!"

"Demons don't have families, Court," Charlie denied, sliding the gate closed once she stepped inside. "We know that much," she said, grabbing the handle of the motor and jerking it down.

The elevator shuttered before it began to lower, the gate disappearing as the elevator shaft appeared.

"Do we?" she challenged, her eyes cramming shut as her grip on the railing tightened. "We're not exactly Jane Goodall with the Demons."

"No," Charlie agreed, "but you don't exactly see Demon children running around, do you?"

"What if becoming smoke is a learned ability? What if they have to be a certain age before they're able to do it?"

Charlie pulled in a calming breath and let it out slowly. "Courtney, it is far too early to be discussing the reproductive theories of Demons," she stated. "Let's just focus on the one at our front door, alright?"

A snort left the younger Warren. "Sis, here's a queue at our front door."

Charlie shrugged. "Well, first come first served."

"'cause that's not fucked up at all."

Charlie couldn't help but agree. She pulled the back to the middle when the zero lit up, the cart slowing down before coming to a shuttering stop and setting itself down onto he bottom of the shaft.

Courtney was out the gate faster than she ever had before, her face pale and slightly green.

Charlie chuckled lightly and followed her out. "I'll never understand where that fear came from," she mused, looking her sister up and down.

She shot her a glare over her shoulder. "That thing is a death trap," she stated, twisting her arm back to point to the elevator.

"Then why do you ride in it?"

"Because it's the only fucking way to get down here," she answered with a sneer. "Why don't we move the room upstairs?"

"Because this is the most secure part of the house," Charlie stated, stepping past her sister and towards the door at the end of the hall. "Plus, moving the room means a lot of elevator rides and I really don't want to push that thing any harder than we already do."

If a look could kill Charlie would be stone cold.

Charlie's smile at her sister's discomfort widened as she paused in front of the door, her thumb hooking under the chain around her neck to pull it free of her shirt, a silver skeleton key hanging from it. She slipped it into the lock located in the middle of the door and twisted it all the way around. A spark started in the keyhole and soon four more were traveling across the door to the four corners. The door popped open once the sparks reached the far corners. Charlie pulled the key back out and let it fall to her shirt before pushing her way into the room.

Courtney's curiosity found her again when she stepped in behind her sister and spotted the man who had caused the night's trouble.

"This is every bit of information Nathan and the girls have managed to find about the Yellow-eyed Demon," Godfrey said, gesturing to the wall that was completely covered in lore pages, drawings and scraps of paper, all connected some way or another with red string.

John shook his head as he looked it over. "This is impossible," he stated, the wonder in his tone obvious.

Courtney couldn't help but smile at that. "Not if you're persistent enough," she stated.

The two men turned back to look back at them.

"That's 16 years of work," she continued, nodding to the wall.

"It's impressive."

Charlie smiled at that. "John, this is my sister Courtney. Courtney, this is John," she introduced, gesturing between them.

John looked the younger Warren over, the unease flashing across his face. "So you're like…." He trialed off, pointing to Charlie.

Courtney cocked an eyebrow before a pair of Blue Jay colored wings spread out from her back.

They were smaller than Charlie's had been but John chalked it up to being the age difference. "They're….pretty," he managed out.

"He's handling this well," Courtney mused with a laugh.

"Yeah, you got a compliment," Charlie said, rolling her eyes. "I got asked what I am."

Courtney snickered as her wings folded back into disappearance. "You always get asked what you are," she mused before turning her attention back to John. "So you're looking for a yellow-eyed Demon?"

John seemed to sober at that and nodded. "I am."

"Do you think it's the same one?" she questioned, pointing to the wall.

He glanced back to it before nodding slowly. "I do."

'The we have a lot of work to do."

Charlie let out a laugh. "Fucking understatement of the century."

* * *

**This is the rewrite of my old story: The Valentine Twins.! I hope you all enjoy and stick with me to the bitter end! **

**Looking forward to hearing from you all. **

**Reviews=Love **


	2. Home Part 1

**March 19th, 2006**

**Eros Inn**

**Loveland, Colorado**

**Courtney + Charlie Warren**

"Well that was a waste of fucking time," Charlie stated, throwing open the hotel door and marching in. She tossed the manila folders in her hands onto the small table in the corner of the room before allowing herself to collapse face first on the bed.

Courtney couldn't help but agree as she kicked the door closed and dropped her bag to the floor. "Three days of research and optimism and what do we have to show for it?" she demanded.

Charlie screamed into the mattress as an answer.

"Right!" Courtney agreed, pointing at her. "Shit all. We have shit all."

The older Warren rolled over onto her and glared at the ceiling. "There were omens!"

"Blatant misrepresentation," she said, popping down on the end of the bed and pulling off her heels. "We should sue."

A snort left her. "And who exactly would we sue?" she questioned. "Warren Vs. Yellow-eyed Demon?"

"We'd win," Courtney stated, throwing the offending shoes into her duffle bag.

"No doubt," Charlie said, going to rub her hands across her face. "Dressed nicely for absolutely nothing," she grumbled, pushing herself up and walking into the bathroom. "Did you see the receptionist staring at your ass?"

It was Courtney's turn to snort. "I'm pretty sure everyone saw it," she stated. "God, his hair. Who the hell still has a mullet?"

Charlie laughed as she scrubbed at her lips. "30 year old male receptionists."

"Oh God," she laughed, letting herself flop backwards. "Why can't there ever be any cute ones?"

"We can go to a bar," Charlie offered.

"It's noon."

"It's never stopped us before."

Courtney laughed at that.

"Maybe we could-" she was cut off by the insistent ringing of her cellphone. She sighed and dug her hand into the pocket of her jacket. She paused to check the caller ID before answering. "Warren's house of horrors, you scream, we scream, we all get ice cream. This is Charlie speaking, how may I help you?"

_"You and that smart mouth of yours." _

Charlie smirked at that. "The day it's not smart is the day we should all worry," she stated. "What do you need, John?"

He sighed. _"I got a call from Dean. He and Sam seem to think that there's something in our old house. Our house in Lawrence," _he explained.

"Something?" she questioned. "They don't know what?"

_"Dean's not sure if it's what killed Mary." _

"It can't be," she denied. "There's no reason for it to be in that house. Why would it-" she cut herself off. "Wait, 'what killed Mary'?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "We know it's a Demon."

John was quiet for a moment. _"My boys don't know." _

"What do you mean they don't know?"

_"Charlie, I don't have to explain myself to you." _

A sarcastic laugh left her at that. "Yes you do. If we're going to help your boys when we need to know what page they're on," she stated, turning to stand in the doorway and give her sister a look of astonishment. "How can they not know about the Demon?"

_"I'm playing this real close to the chest, Charlie, and-" _

"We're all playing this close to the chest, John," she interrupted. "Those boys deserve to know what happened to their mother."

_"You do not get to tell me how to raise my kids." _

"They're not kids anymore, John!" Charlie snapped. "Jesus Christ, what if the Demon goes after them, huh? They'll have no idea what they're dealing with."

_"That Demon isn't getting anywhere near my sons." _

"And how are you gonna make sure of that when you're thousands of miles away from them?" she demanded, the anger from knowing John Winchester bubbling up. "Do they even know where you are?"

John remained silent.

"Oh, that's right," she mused. "You just disappeared."

_"Don't put your issues with your father on me, Charlotte." _

She laughed at that. "My father answers when I call and I know exactly where he is. My issues are with you."

There was another tense silence before he cleared his throat.

_"Will you go or not?" _

Charlie's jaw clenched as she looked over to her sister, silently asking for her opinion.

Courtney, knowing from the argument what John had asked, nodded with a small smile.

"Yes we'll go," she answered.

_"Thank you," _he said before hanging up.

Charlie sneered as she closed her phone. "Miserable asshole."

"Where are we going?" Courtney asked, pushing herself up from the bed and over to her bag.

"Lawrence, Kansas."

She paused for a moment to do the math. "That's eight hours away."

Charlie nodded. "Do you want to take the first four?"

A frustrated groan left her.

* * *

**Lawrence, Kansas**

**Missouri Moseley's House**

"I hate John Winchester," Courtney stated once she pulled up in front of Missouri's house. She threw it into park and killed the engine before looking over to her sister, a frown pulling at her lips when she found her sleeping peacefully. "Hey!"

Charlie jerked awake, her eyes darting around the car in alarm before she realized where she was and let out a frustrated sigh. "Do you think Missy knows we were coming?"

Courtney let out a snort. "She knew we were coming before we did," she answered, grabbing her bag from the backseat and climbing out of the car. "Come on, I bet she made dinner."

Charlie perked up at that and followed after her sister, her own bag lazily thrown over her shoulder. She trotted up the walk and practically jumped onto the porch.

The youngest Warren smiled when she saw the envelope tapped to the door with their names scrawled across it. She pulled it off and tore into it. "'Hello, babies, glad you two stopped by. I had to step out for a while so there's dinner in the oven and towels in the bathroom. Make yourselves at home. Missy,'" she read, her smile widening as she slid the key out.

Charlie snatched it from her and unlocked the door, the smell of roast instantly wafting out. "Oh she made pot roast," she moaned stepping into the house.

"Think she made those red potatoes?" Courtney asked, closing the door behind her.

"God I hope so."

* * *

It was a little after nine and the girls had made camp in the living room. They were dressed in their finest Pj's and their hair was damp from the much enjoyed showers. The TV had been left on a marathon of F.R.I.E.N.D.'s while they idly watched in comfort. They were half asleep when the backdoor opened and closed, keys jingling and footsteps sounding.

"I gotta say, it sure is nice that you girls stopped by."

A wide smile stretched across both girls' faces as Missouri Moseley walked into the room. "Hey, Missy!" they greeted together.

"Did you girls eat?" she asked, her motherly habits always there.

"We did, Missy, thank you," Charlie said, peeling herself off the couch to give the woman a hug.

"Best meal we've had in a long time," Courtney added, playfully moving her sister out of the way so she could give the woman a hug of her own.

Missouri giggled at that and looked the two girls over. "You two get prettier and prettier each time I see you," she praised. "How are you two?"

Courtney snorted at that. "You really have to ask us?"

Missouri gave her a look. "It's polite to ask," she stated. "I see your sister's manners have rubbed off on you."

Charlie gasped and pressed a hand over her chest. "I have perfect manners," she denied. "She's rude all on her own."

Courtney frowned and shot her arm out, her closed fist connecting with her sister's shoulder.

A hiss left her as she rubbed at the sore spot, stepping back to sit back onto the couch. "See what I put up with?"

Missouri giggled again and patted Courtney on the head before bustling back into the kitchen. "So I take it this wasn't just a friendly visit?" she asked.

Charlie let out a snort. "We're doing a favor for John," she answered, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Winchester? What's he done now?"

"His boys think there's something in their old house," Courtney explained, shuffling back over and taking her place next to her sister again.

"That man, I swear to the lord," Missouri said, walking back into the room with the plate the girls had left for her in the microwave. "What is it this time?" she asked, sitting down next to Courtney.

The girl leaned over till her head rested on the woman's shoulder. "We're supposed to check up on his sons," she explained. "They think there's something in their old house."

"Dean seems to think it's what killed Mary," Charlie added.

Missouri looked up at the girls with a confused expression. "But I walked through that house after," she told them. "There's nothing there."

"The Yellow-eyed Demon killed Mary," Charlie stated with a bored tone. "It's not going to be in their old house."

"I'm sorry, did you say Demon?" Missouri asked, her confusion quickly turning to shock. "A demon killed Mary?"

Courtney nodded with a yawn. "The same one that killed ours."

"Oh, I'm sorry, girls," Missouri said, reaching her free hand out to touch Courtney's shoulder then Charlie's. "But if it was a Demon that killed your mothers then why do the boys think that it's in their old house?"

Charlie let out a humorless laugh. "Because John hasn't told them that it was a Demon," she answered. "He doesn't want them to get too close."

Missouri let out a disapproving sigh. "Someone needs to give that man a good whack on the head," she said, shaking her head. "When is he going to get here?"

Both girls hesitated this time.

Missouri looked between them and frowned. "He's nog going to come, is he?"

They shook their heads.

"The next time I see that man I'm going to crack him on the head so hard," she said, looking down at her plate with disappointment. "Haven't those boys been through enough?"

"You think this is bad try reading his journal sometime," Charlie muttered, glaring at the TV. "You think you dislike him now…."

Courtney's head snapped up to look at her sister. "That's why you keep picking fights with him?" she demanded. "You read his journal?"

Charlie gave a small nod. "He makes Dad look like a suburban housewife," she told her.

Courtney's eyebrows shot up but she didn't press for further explanation.

Missouri shook her head. "So that's why you think they'll come to me," she said. "I'm on the first page of John's journal."

Charlie nodded. "They'll talk to John's old friends, find out about his so called melt down, one of them is bound to know that he went to see a psychic. They'll look through the phonebook for local psychic, see your name and make the connection."

"That's a lot of faith to put into two boys you've never met before," Missouri noted.

Courtney shrugged. "They're Winchester's," she said as if it explained everything.

Missouri nodded as if it had.

* * *

**March 20th, 2006**

**Missouri Moseley's House**

**Lawrence, Kansas**

The next day found the girls lounging around the psychic's house in wait of the Winchester brothers. Missouri had a steady stream of clients looking for people and after a while she got tired of the girls listening in and grounded them to the kitchen.

"What are we going to tell them?"

Courtney looked up from her eighth cup of coffee. "Tell who what?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "How are we going to explain us being here?" she elaborated. "As much as I want to tell them the truth it's not going to help us in any way. We can't just tell them that John sent us."

"Sure we can," Courtney argued with a shrug. "On the way over I had John leave a voicemail on my phone," she explained, reaching into her pocket to puller out her cellphone. A few key taps later and John's voice was coming from the speaker.

_"Courtney, I'm calling in that favor. I need you and your sister to head down to Lawrence. Visit Missouri. My boys are going to find their way there. They'll fill you in." _

A humorless laugh left Charlie when the message ended. "He has such a way with words, doesn't he?" she mused, taking a sip of coffee from her own cup.

"It just means we won't have answers if they ask questions," Courtney stated, flipping her phone closed and putting it back in her pocket. "We'll be just as much in the dark as they are."

Charlie watched her sister for a moment before giving an appreciative nod. "Bravo, little sister," she said, saluting her with her coffee mug.

"Yeah, well, I knew you wouldn't talk to John again so," she said with a shrug.

"That's no lie," Charlie muttered before looking over to the clock on the wall. "Missouri didn't say when they'd be here, did she?"

Courtney shook her head.

"Ugh, we don't even know if they're coming today," she said, slumping forward to rest her head on the table.

"Dean called John from Lawrence," Courtney told her. "They're in town. They just have to talk to the right person to get them here."

Charlie sighed. "The shit we do for John Winchester."

"All for the greater good, big sis, all for the greater good."

"Well, Sam and Dean, come on now already I ain't got all day."

Both girls perked up at the sound of Missouri's voice and familiar names. They got up from their chairs and tiptoed towards the den where Missouri saw her clients and peeked around the open doorway.

"Well, let me look at ya," Missouri said, standing in front of the two Winchester boys, an appraising look on her face. "Oh, you boys grew up handsome! And you were one goofy looking kid, too," she said, pointing to Dean.

The older Winchester had lost his smile, glancing up to Sam as he laughed at him.

Missouri let out another giggle before turning her attention to the taller of the two. "Sam," she said, reaching out to grab his hand, her smile falling as soon as she did. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry about your girlfriend."

The girls frowned at that, both wondering why John hadn't of mentioned it.

"And your father? He's missing?" Missouri asked, looking between the brothers.

They in turn looked to her in shock.

"How'd you know all that stuff?" Sam questioned.

"Well, you were just thinking it just now," Missouri told him.

Dean saw the opportunity. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

Missouri shook her head. "I don't know."

He didn't like that answer. "Don't know? You're supposed to be a psychic, right?"

She glared at him. "Boy, you see me sawing some bony tramp in half?" she demanded. "Do you think I'm a magician?"

Dean floundered for a comeback.

"I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air."

By this point it was nearly impossible for either girl to keep from laughing. They managed to duck back behind the wall when Missouri and the Winchesters looked over but there was no escaping.

"Girls, stop cackling and come introduce yourselves like normal people!" Missouri called out.

Charlie pulled in a deep breath to calm down. "Oh God," she said, looking down at her sister. "Should we run?"

Courtney leaned against the wall for support and shook her head. "She'd catch us," she stated before pushing herself up and stepped out into the den.

Charlie sighed and followed after her, a sheepish smile stretched across her face. "Sorry, Missy," she said, looking to the woman first.

"We couldn't help it," Courtney added with a small shrug before looking up to the Winchesters. "Sorry."

The brothers simply stared at them.

Charlie cleared her throat and stepped forward. "I'm Charlie Warren and this is my sister Courtney," she introduced, nodding down to her.

An easy smile spread across Dean's face as he looked her over. "Dean. Dean Winchester," he said.

Charlie huffed out of a laugh and matched Dean's smile. "Well hello, Dean," she said, honestly surprised by how much he didn't remind her of John.

Sam flashed his brother a slight glare. "I'm Sam."

"Hi, Sam," Courtney said, waving up at him with a wide smile.

He looked down to her, looking almost perplexed with the difference between his 6'4 height and her 5'3. "Uh, hi," he said, giving her a small nod.

"So," Charlie sighed out, "what are we all doing here?" she asked, doing her best to sound clueless.

"What?" Dean asked, his confusion returning.

The sister's looked to each other in sync confusion. "John didn't tell you?" they asked.

"Our dad?" Sam asked, his eyebrows raising.

"He called you?" Dean continued, all the charm leaving him to make room for repressed anger.

Courtney nodded as she pulled her phone out and once again played the voicemail.

_"Courtney, I'm calling in that favor. I need you and your sister to head down to Lawrence. Visit Missouri. My boys are going to find their way there. They'll fill you in."_

Sam looked surprised but Dean on the other hand looked pissed and Charlie couldn't blame him.

"How do you know our dad?" he demanded.

"We've worked with him a few times," Courtney supplied.

Sam let out a small laugh. "And you came down here? Just like that?"

Charlie resisted the urge to make a snide comment and simply shrugged. "The last time he did something like this it turned out to be pretty serious," she told them. "We didn't want to take any chances."

"Alright, but why would he send you?" Dean asked, pointing between them.

"He must have thought we could help."

Dean scoffed.

Charlie glared at that. "Why don't you tell us why we're here and we'll decide if we can help or not," she suggested, hoping that her expression worked as well as Dean as it did his father.

Dean simply glared back.

"If you know our dad then you know that's he's hunting something," Sam started.

Dean's glare shifted to his brother. "Sam."

He waved him off. "The thing that killed our mom."

Courtney looked up to Charlie with a questioning look, asking how much of the truth they should allow.

"We're hunting the same thing," Charlie told him.

The brothers' shock returned.

"It killed your mom too?" Sam asked, something that looked like hope sweeping across his face.

Charlie nodded, her jaw clenching as memories of her father coming home alone and telling her and Courtney that their mother wasn't coming back. The funeral was three days later despite there not being much left to bury. Charlie was always grateful for that, unsure if any of them would have been able to make it through an open casket.

Sam looked down to Dean with a pleading expression. They stared at each other for a moment before Dean let out a sigh of consent.

"We think that it's back in our old house," Sam told them, the sincerity in his voice almost desperate.

The girls paused to let that sink in, both of them knowing that they wouldn't be able to argue with them at this point. They would have to go along with it for now.

Charlie pulled in a deep breath and looked over to Missouri. "Missy?"

The woman sighed, knowing the situation the girls had gotten themselves in. "Come on, let's get this started," she said, walking over to the far armchair and sitting down.

The girls followed in behind her, Courtney dropping down into the armchair beside Missouri while Charlie perched on the arm.

Dean and Sam took the couch opposite the women, both of them looking far from comfortable.

"Boy, if you put your foot on my coffee table I'll whack you with a spoon," Missouri threatened, pointing to Dean.

The man in question looked at her startled. "I didn't do anything," he denied.

"You were thinking about it."

The girls snickered at that while the younger Winchester beamed.

"Uh, okay, so our dad," Sam started, "when did you first meet him?"

Missouri thought for a moment. "He came for a reading a few days after the fire. I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say…I drew back the curtains."

Dean leaned closer to her. "What about the fire?" he asked. "Do you- do you know about what killed our mom?"

Charlie slumped further back against the chair, her hand sliding down to squeeze her knee.

Courtney laid her hand atop her sister's, knowing that this was the reason why she didn't want to come down here in the first place. She understood Charlie's anger towards John and was starting to grow some of her own. They both knew how much damage secrets could cause.

"Your daddy took me to your house," Missouri said, almost hesitantly. "He was hoping I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints, of this thing."

"And could you?" Sam hoped.

She shook her head remorsefully.

"What was it?" he pressed.

"I don't know, but it was evil," she said, her voice shaking. "You think there's something back in that house?"

"Definitely," Sam answered with no hesitation.

Missouri shook her head as she sighed. "I don't understand."

Sam frowned. "What?"

"I haven't been back but I've been keeping an eye on the place and it's been quiet. No sudden deaths or freak accidents. Why is it acting up now?"

"I don't know," Sam answered. "But Dad going missing and with Jessica dying and now this house. All of it happening at once just feels like something starting."

"I hate to ask," Charlie spoke up, catching their attention, "but how did Jessica die?"

The tension returned to the room as Sam paled several shades.

"She, uh-" he cut off to clear his throat. "The same as our mom."

She hesitated. "John is getting close to whatever this thing is," she told them, "and it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that it's trying to distract him."

Courtney nodded in agreement. "This thing is smart and it would know that you two are John's weakens," she continued. "Did John show up after Jessica died?"

Both brother shook their head.

"What's happening with the house could be another attempt at shaking him off."

"But that being said, the chances of it actually being there if he shows up are minuscule. This is just a distraction, not an opportunity," Charlie stated.

"And John will know that."

"So we're on our own."

Dean's eyebrows shot up as he gave them an unamused look. "That's a comforting thought."

Charlie gave him a strained smile. "You've been to the house?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, uh, a woman and her two kids are living there," he answered. "Jenny, Sari, and Ritchie."

"Have they noticed anything odd about the place?"

He laughed lightly. "Oh yeah, lights flickering, scratching in the walls."

"Sounds like a Poltergeist," Courtney mused.

Sam nodded. "Maybe but the daughter told us that there's something in her closet," he said, leaning closer to them. "A figure on fire."

The sisters shared a moment of worry.

"That's specific," Courtney said, looking up to her sister. "You ever find something like that?"

Charlie pursed her lips in thought. "Some Jinns are depicted as beings made of smokeless fire but it's utterly ridiculous to even consider one being in a child's closet," she said, looking over to Missouri. "There really weren't any echoes?"

The woman shook her head.

"Do you think if you went in again you could pick something up?" she asked. "Something that would point us in the right direction?"

Everyone turned to Missouri with the same silent question.

She looked to each of the boys before nodding with a smile. "It's worth a try."

"Do you think it would be a problem if Charlie and I tagged along?" Courtney asked, looking to Sam. "We have a few tricks that might help."

Sam and Dean looked to each other, a silent conversation passing between them before Sam nodded.

"The more help the better."

* * *

A whistle of appreciation left Charlie when she saw the Impala sitting by the curb. "John's talked about her but he does not do her justice," she said, shaking her head.

Dean smiled over at her. "Beautiful, isn't she?" he asked.

"Very," she agreed.

"It's an Impala, right?" Courtney asked.

"'67 Chevy," both Charlie and Dean answered before sharing a laugh.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "And there's two of them," she muttered.

Sam snorted when he heard her.

"Do you mind if we ride with you too?" Charlie asked, already making a beeline for the car. "I would never forgive myself if I didn't take the chance to ride in her."

Dean's smile widened and he nodded. "Sure you can, sweetheart," he said.

"Shotgun!" she shouted before she all but sprinted to the passenger's door.

"What?" Sam asked, looking to his brother with a frown.

Dean shrugged. "She called it," he told him before climbing into the car.

Charlie beamed back at her sister as she pulled the door open. "I have died and gone to heaven," she cooed, gently closing the door as she bounced into the seat.

"Just wait," he told her before starting the engine.

Charlie had to bite her lip to keep from giggling.

"And here we see the mating ritual of the grease monkey," Courtney droned out. "Stay tuned to see what happens when the male shows the female what's under the hood."

Charlie's glare would have been more effective if Sam hadn't of been laughing so hard.

* * *

**The Winchester House**

**Lawrence, Kansas**

**The Warrens + The Winchesters**

While John didn't have many pictures of his life before Mary's death the few he did he showed reluctantly. Charlie had been the most curious, wanting to put faces to the names from John's stories. None of them were current or even close to the ages they are now but they had been enough to give them an idea. One of the pictures had been of all four of the Winchesters in front of their old house, a gnarled tree taking up most of the background. It had been the last picture they had taken together before the fire and John kept it stashed deep in his journal. If either girl was going to be honest it was almost fascinating to see where a man like John Winchester came from.

Dean rolled to a stop in front of the house in question, looking it over with apprehension.

Charlie knew that none of the Winchesters had been back to the house since they left the first time. She thought to ask him if he was alright but knowing how John reacted to questions like that she decided against it.

"She's a single mother, right?" Courtney asked as they climbed out of the car.

"As far as we know," Sam answered.

"That explains why she bought the house," she mused, turning back to help Missouri out of the car.

Dean's eyebrows furrowed. "What does that have to do anything?" he demanded, slamming his door and walking around the door.

"Relaters are obligated by law to inform potential buyers of all deaths that have occurred within the house," Charlie explained with a shrug.

"It lowers the selling rate," Courtney continued. "Which is why a single mother with two kids bought it; she could afford it."

The brothers looked to each other with impressed expressions.

The group walked up onto the front porch, all five of them ignoring the ridiculousness of them.

Dean knocked on the door and stepped back, that charming smirk back on his face.

The door swung open to reveal a flustered blond woman with a small boy sitting on her hip.

Charlie and Courtney frowned at the wave of worry and anxiety that came off the woman.

"Sam. Dean," she said, looking to both of them. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Jenny," Sam greeted, his tone all sorts of sympathetic. "These are our friends Missouri, Courtney, and Charlie," he said, gesturing back to us.

We collectively smiled at her.

"If it's not too much trouble we could show 'em the old house, you know, for old time's sake," Dean said with a shrug.

She smiled back as she glanced over at her son. "You know, now really isn't a good time," she told him. "I'm really busy."

Dean stepped forward. "Listen, Jenny, its important-"

Missouri reached out and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Ah!" he grunted, shying away from her.

"Give this poor woman a break. Can't you see she's upset?" she pointed out, stepping forward. "Forgive this boy, he means well he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed."

Dean had the sense to look offended.

"But hear me out."

Jenny was hesitant. "About what?"

"About this house," Missouri answered, looking around through the doorway.

She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

Missouri gave her a soft smile. "I think you know what I'm talking about. You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?"

Jenny once again glanced to her son. "Who are you?"

"We're people who can help. Who can stop this thing, but you're gonna have to trust us a little."

Jenny looked to each of us with hesitation before letting out a shaky breath and nodding. "Alright," she said, stepping aside to let us in.

The filed in, Missouri instantly observing the house while the girls focused on Jenny and Ritchie.

"Is he okay?" Courtney asked, running the back of her hand across Ritchie's cheek.

Jenny bounced him several times. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"You're worried about him," Charlie stated, putting on an overdramatic smile as she looked to the little boy. "What happened before we got here?"

Jenny swallowed hard and hugged Ritchie a little tighter to her. "We was in the fridge," she answered, her voice breaking. "The shelves were down and all the food was rearranged so he would fit."

"Poor baby," Courtney cooed, stroking his cheek again. "Did something put you in the fridge?"

Charlie grimaced at that and looked over to the kitchen. "What else has happened?" she asked, unable to shake the feelings of carnage.

She sighed and shook her head. "The plumber was trying to fix the garbage disposal," she told them. "It went off on its own and there was blood everywhere. That poor man."

"Sam said that your daughter sees something in her closet? A figure on fire?" Courtney asked.

"I've never seen anything but Sari's adamant about it," Jenny answered.

"Have you smelt anything odd?" Charlie asked. "Like smoke or rotting meat?"

Jenny shook her head. "No, nothing like that."

Charlie frowned at that. "Would you mind if we walked through the house? It should only take us a few minutes."

Jenny hesitated. "What do you think you'll find?" she asked, bouncing Ritchie higher up on her hip.

"There are a few possibilities right now but we don't want to make assumptions. We should know for sure before we leave."

"Do whatever you have to."

Courtney beamed at her. "Thank you, Jenny," she said. "We need you to stay down here with Ritchie and when we find something we'll let you know."

Jenny nodded hesitantly, still unsure of the whole thing.

Both girls gave her an appreciative smile before walking back over to the brothers.

"We should start in the daughter's room," Charlie suggested.

Missouri nodded. "I can already feel it," she said as she made her way towards the stairs.

Despite the overbearing pinkness of the room Charlie still recognized it as the room from John's memory, the same hardwood floor and the same box ceiling. Even the same knot as before twisted her stomach.

"There's a dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it," Missouri said as soon as she walked in, her voice going soft.

Sam's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"This used to me your nursery, Sam. This is where it all happened."

Neither girl missed the fear that flashed across Dean and Sam's faces, the older of the two taking a few steps back with his eyes locked on the center of the ceiling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a homemade EMF reader, the high pitched squeal it gave off making all three women grimace.

"That an EMF?" Missouri asked, looking back at him.

"Yeah," Dean answered without looking up from the lights.

"Armature."

Dean shot her a glare.

Courtney frowned as she looked over to the closet, her eyes narrowing before she walked over.

Charlie watched her with caution, still a little put off about not knowing what the figure on fire was. She glanced back at the bed and sat down on the end of it, putting herself at the same level that Sari would look at the closet.

Courtney looked back to her sister before pulling open the closet and stepping in. She pulled in a deep breath as she turned in a slow circle, trying to pick up any trace of sulfur.

Missouri let out a disappointed sigh and looked back to the brothers. "I don't know if you boys should be relieved or not but this isn't the thing that took your mom," she told them.

The disappointment seemed to be mutual.

Sam shifted a little closer to her. "Are you sure?"

She nodded remorsefully.

"How do you know?"

Missouri sighed again as she looked around the room. "This isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's something different."

"What is it?" Dean asked, sounding far from happy.

"It's not an it," Courtney spoke up, peeking her head out of the closet. "There's two of them."

"What are they doing here?" Dean demanded.

Charlie grimaced and looked up to the ceiling. "Real evil leaves scars," she answered, her frown dipping lower when she was the vague outline of Mary. "Some creatures can feed off of them, grow stronger."

"Poltergeists are the most common," Courtney added.

Charlie nodded. "With the scratching in the walls, the flickering lights, and all the injuries I would say one of them is a Poltergeist," she told them.

"The Poltergeist is the figure on fire?" Sam asked in confusion.

She shook her head. "If it was then it would have hurt Sari long before now," she reasoned.

"This Poltergeist won't rest till Jenny and her babies are dead," Missouri said in agreement.

"Then what's the other one?" Sam demanded, looking over to Charlie.

"I still have no idea what that figure on fire is," she admitted, looking over to Missouri in question.

The woman shook her head in answer.

"Court?" she asked. "You getting anything?"

The youngest Warren shook her head. "Just that there's something here."

Dean's jaw clenched before he stepped closer to the women. "Well there's one thing we know for damn sure," he started, "no one's dying in this house ever again. So whatever is here how do we stop it?"

Missouri thought for a moment before nodding to herself. "I have everything we need at the house," she told them.

"Okay," Charlie sighed, "why don't you and the Winchesters go get the supplies and Courtney and I will stay with Jenny. We should be able to stop anything serious from happening till you guys get back."

Courtney nodded in agreement. "We can't leave Jenny by herself now that she knows there's something in the house."

Sam nodded quickly. "No, of course not," he agreed.

Missouri sighed. "Well boys, let's get going," she said, starting for the door. "We don't have a lot of time."

* * *

The Warren's watched as the Impala pulled away from the curb.

"How long do you think we have?" Courtney asked, letting the curtain fall back over the window.

"15-20 minutes," Charlie answered before turning back to look at Jenny. "Do you mind if we go back up to Sari's room? We want to double check something."

Jenny shook her head. "Go ahead."

"Thank you," they chorused before heading back up the stairs.

"You got the chalk?" Charlie asked as she closed the bedroom door.

Courtney nodded and rifled through her bag to pull out her box of chalk. "Here," she said, tossing Charlie a piece before turning the closet light on and kneeling down to start the seal.

"I'm a little surprised that Dean and Sam haven't questioned us," Charlie mused as she joined her sister. "We never told them that we're psychic but they accepted our answers."

Courtney let out a snort. "John vouched for us," she reminded her. "That's better than God coming down and blessing us."

"That's not sad at all," she muttered.

"Okay, what the hell was in that journal that pissed you off so much?" Courtney demanded, pausing to look up at her sister.

Charlie kept her eyes on the floor. "It's just the things he wrote about Dean and Sam," she answered.

"Like what?" she pressed.

Charlie sighed. "You know how Sam went to Stanford?"

Courtney nodded. "Yeah?"

"He said that him and Dean didn't protect him his whole life just for him to quit and go to college," she told her. "Then when he left John told him that if he was going it was permanent, that he wasn't allowed back. Could you imagine that? A full ride to Stanford and your father disowns you."

Courtney let that sink it. "Honestly, I've never considered John as a Human being, only as a Hunter," she said, looking back down to continue drawing the seal, "and Hunters like John shouldn't be allowed children."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "I can't even begin to tell you what he's done to Dean," she said.

Courtney paused to ask herself if she did want to know but ended up shaking her head. "I don't want to know."

"Ignorance is bliss," Charlie agreed before dusting her hands off and looking the seal over. "Does anything look off to you?"

Courtney shook her head as she pushed herself up. "It looks right to me," she said, jumping over the seal and out of the closet.

Charlie stepped back. "Ready?"

Courtney nodded.

**"De Cruinne-ce agus Akasha seal me do solas," **they chorused, their voices fracturing into four as a bright light filled the room.

"Holy shit," Courtney whispered when a figure appeared in the center of the seal.

"We need to call John."

* * *

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	3. Home Part 2

Charlie paced across the front porch as she listened to the phone ring, her impatience going fast.

_"This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean. 866-907-3235." _

She let out a frustrated sigh when it beeped. "John, it's Charlie. Listen, you need to get down here as fast as you can. The thing in the house is a Poltergeist but there's something else here, something that shouldn't be," she said, bringing her hand up to press against her eyes. "It's Mary, John. Her spirit is in the house. We're doing a cleansing ritual tonight to get rid of the Poltergeist and I don't know what it's going to do to her. So whatever it is you're doing drop it and get down here," she told him before snapping her phone shut just in time for the Impala to roar down the street. She pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly before starting for the curb. "Did you have everything?" she asked as Missouri climbed out of the back seat.

She gave her a sour look. "I said that I did why would you-" she cut off as her eyes widened. "What's wrong?" she demanded.

Charlie silently chastised herself and threw up the mental wall. "Just the Poltergeist," she answered with a sarcastic smirk. "Courtney's trying to convince Jenny to take the kids somewhere for the night," she said, turning her attention over to Sam and Dean.

"Think she will?" Dean asked, walking around the car.

"She doesn't have much of a choice."

They looked up to the house when the front door opened and Courtney stepped out with the ragtag family.

"Look, I just don't know if I feel comfortable leaving you hear alone," Jenny said, sounding just as flustered as she looked.

Courtney gave her that sympathetic smile of hers. "It will all be over by the time you get back," she assured her. "Grab some dinner, see a movie, something that'll take a few hours."

"Are you sure?"

Courtney nodded quickly. "Very sure."

Jenny looked down to Sari before nodding. "Okay, but you have my number, right?"

"I do."

She let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Alright, let's go," she said before ushering her daughter over to the car waiting in the driveway.

They watched the family of three drive away before heading into the house.

"Alright, girls and boys, you know the drill," Missouri said, pulling out the hex bags. "I'll take the basement, Charlie and Dean will take the main floor, and Courtney and Sam will take the upstairs," she said, handing them out.

Dean frowned. "Why are we paired with them?" he asked, pointing over to the Warren's.

"Because they know what they're doing," she answered back bluntly.

Dean once again had the common sense to look offended.

"All four corners, right?" Sam asked, looking down at the bags.

"Right," Missouri answered.

Courtney bounced hers in her hand before smiling up at Sam. "Ready for this, Jolly Green?"

He laughed at the nickname and nodded. "Let's go, pipsqueak," he said, heading towards the stairs.

The youngest and shortest Warren giggled like an idiot as she followed after him.

"It's like a Great Dane and a Chihuahua," Charlie mused as she watched them.

It was Dean's turn to laugh.

Missouri gave the two an unamused look and tossed them their bags. "Come on, you two, we're wasting time," she told them.

"Sorry, Missy," Charlie said, giving her a wink.

The woman rolled her eyes and headed for the basement door.

* * *

**Courtney Warren + Sam Winchester**

"So," Courtney started as she climbed up the stairs, "Stanford huh?"

Sam glanced back at her. "Uh, yeah, how'd you know?"

"When John's drunk you can't get him to shut up about you and Dean," she told him with a chuckle. "I couldn't tell you how many times he's told me you're going to Stanford."

He let out a humorless laugh. "I highly doubt that."

She grimaced as she remembered what Charlie had told her. "Doubt what you want but it's still impressive," she told him. "Plus the campus is beautiful."

"You've been there?" he asked.

She nodded despite him not being able to see her. "I spent a few days with a linguistics professor translating a Latin text from Rome."

He stopped and looked back at her. "You have a Latin text from Rome?" he demanded.

She nodded again. "I have a few," she answered.

Sam's mouth dropped open as he stared at her for a moment. "That's….not fair."

Courtney laughed. "I'm sorry?"

He shook his head and continued up the stairs. "I don't even want to know how you found it," he said.

She smirked at that. "Okay, I won't tell you," she said nonchalantly, "but it was really cool."

Sam groaned and shot her a glare. "That's just mean," he told her.

She shrugged. "I'm a mean person," she stated before pointing to Jenny's bedroom. "Why don't you start in there and I'll take Sari's room," she told him, walking off without giving him enough time to argue. She scanned the room for a moment before going to the far corner and pulling out her knife. "Sorry, Jenny," she apologized before stabbing it into the wall and cutting out a square. She paused when she felt something behind her but managed to shove the bag into the hole before something was pulled over her head and she was jerked back towards the closet.

* * *

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

Charlie leaned against the counter beside Dean, watching him as he cut a hole in the kitchen wall with a hand axe. "I hope you know how to spackle cause Missy's going to make us fix the holes," she mused.

Dean let out a laugh. "Yeah, like that's happening."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think you have a choice?" she asked.

He glanced over at her. "Don't I?"

She shook her head.

He frowned and looked back to the wall. "I don't know how to spackle," he muttered.

Charlie couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, I'll teach you," she told him, leaning over to bump his shoulder.

He smirked over at her. "I'm sure you could teach me a lot of things, sweetheart."

Charlie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Get your head out of the gutter, Winchester," she told him.

He smirked to himself and jabbed at the wall a little harder.

She shook her head and went to look towards the stairs when a flash of metal caught her attention. "Dean!" she yelped before grabbing hold of his shoulder and jerking him down to the floor.

"What the hell?" he asked, looking up to the knife that was now embedded in the cabinet where his head had been.

"Table!" Charlie snapped when she looked back to where the knife had come from.

Dean acted faster than she had expected to and had the table on its side in front of them, stopping the other knives and sharp things that had shot towards them.

Charlie leaned forward against Dean's back and let out a sigh. "Holy shit, that was close," she said, patting his shoulder. "Nice reflexes, batman."

He chuckled nervously and smiled back at her before something seemed to dawn on him. "Sam," he said as he practically threw himself to his feet and running for the stairs.

Charlie sighed and grabbed the forgotten hex back before pushing herself to her feet. "Fucking Poltergeists," she grumbled, cramming it into the hole Dean had made before following after him. She took the stairs two at a time, glanced into Jenny's room to find Sam and Dean struggling with a lamp cord and rushed in. "Get the hex bag!" she shouted to Dean as she dropped to her knees by Sam's head to slip her fingers under the cord.

He snatched it up and shot to his feet, kicking a rather large hole into the wall before shoving the bag into it.

The light from the cleansing ritual swept through the house and soon the cord around Sam's neck went lax.

"You've got him?" Charlie asked as she helped Dean sit Sam up.

Dean nodded quickly as he worked on unwinding the cord from his brother's neck.

Charlie got back up to her feet and ran to Sari's room. "Courtney?!" she called when she didn't see her sister.

"The bastard locked me in the closet."

Charlie resisted laughing and walked over to open the doors, not able to resist the laughter when she found her sister tied up in a sweater like a straightjacket. "Dean and I get knives thrown at us, Sam gets strangled with a lamp cord but you get to hug yourself?" she asked, resting her hands on her hips.

Courtney glared up at her. "You're just damn lucky that I got the hex bag in the wall before I was committed."

"No, Sam is lucky," she corrected, walking in and pulling her sister to her feet. "How did it get you in this thing?" she asked, spinning her around to try and untie the sleeves. She shook her head when she couldn't figure it out and pulled her knife from her boot. "Hope this wasn't one of Sari's favorites," she muttered before cutting through the sleeves.

Courtney sighed in frustration and jerked what was left of the sweater off. "Fucking Poltergeists," she said.

"Couldn't agree with you more."

* * *

The kitchen was an utter disaster. Anything that had been sitting properly was now on its side and anything that could have been thrown had been thrown. Even the contents of the fridge had been emptied.

"Are you sure this is over?" Sam asked, looking over to the far from amused Missouri.

She took a moment to look around the house and nodded. "I'm sure," she answered, turning to look back at him. "Why? Why do you ask?"

Sam frowned and shook his head. "Ah, never mind," he said with a sigh. "It's nothing, I guess."

Courtney went to ask him if he was sure but stopped and grimaced. "Jenny's home," she said before the front door opened and the lights flicked on.

They all watched as Jenny walked into the kitchen with the kids, the shock on her face needing no explanation.

"What happened?"

"Uh, hi," Sam said, nervously glancing around the kitchen. "Don't worry, we'll pay for all of this."

Dean looked at his brother like he had six heads.

"Don't you worry," Missouri assured her, "Dean's gonna clean up this mess."

It was Missouri's turn to be looked at like she had several heads.

She looked back at him. "Well? What are you waiting for boy? Grab a mop."

Dean pulled a face and moved to do just that.

"And don't cuss at me."

The girls couldn't help but smile at the exchange.

Missouri sighed. "Now, why don't you put your babies to bed and we'll have a nice chat about what happened," she suggested, ushering the woman and the children out of the room.

"Well, it isn't going to clean itself," Courtney stated, leaning down to pick up one of the overturned chairs.

"I'll help Dean," Charlie sighed, pushing off the counter to walk over to Dean who was struggling with whatever was in the pantry. "Need some help, batman?" she asked, leaning in the doorway.

He looked back at her with a glare. "I thought you were kidding," he said, pulling a broom free and handing it back to her.

Charlie chuckled and shook her head. "I told you you didn't have a choice," she reminded him.

He grumbled and did just that. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."

She scoffed. "Please, none of us get paid," she said, walking back out into the kitchen and starting to sweep up the food and trash. "What I want to know is why it upended the kitchen so bad but left the rest of the house just fine."

"It's always the kitchen," Courtney told her, pulling a meat cleaver from the table. "Every movie with a Poltergeist it always trashes the kitchen."

"We should look into that," she mused, reaching down to pick up a milk carton.

Courtney paused and looked to her sister. "A study in the destructive patterns of Poltergeists?"

She nodded and threw the carton towards the trashcan. "I'm sure we're not the only ones who have wondered."

Courtney considered it for a moment and nodded. "Sure, let's do it," she agreed. "It'll only take us a few months."

"Six at the most."

Sam let out a laugh as he looked between the two. "Is that what you do? Study supernatural beings?"

Courtney shrugged. "We're Warrens, it's what we do."

"Wait, the Warrens?" he asked. "Like Ed and Loraine Warren? The exorcists?"

Both girls nodded. "We're third generation," they answered.

Dean's brow furrowed. "Exorcists as in I need an old priest and a young priest exorcists?" he asked.

Charlie snorted and shook her head. "Please, that went out of style in the 60's," she told him.

"The Vatican rarely sanctions exorcisms anymore," Courtney told him, not bothering to hide how annoyed she was. "They actually frown on them now, did you know that? All those years believing in Demons and then suddenly there was no such thing."

Charlie sighed and looked over to her sister. "We've been over this, Court," she said. "Many of the exorcisms that they allowed were undiagnosed mental illnesses that often resulted in death. With the modern advances in testing and the breakdown of the stigmas attached to said illnesses, exorcisms are no long a consideration. The Vatican will only allow exorcisms by priest if there's been an investigation, and by that point the host usually won't survive it," she explained. "So really, there's no point in even getting them involved if it's an actual possession."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her off.

The brothers looked to each other with almost frightened expressions.

"How the hell do you know that?" Dean demanded.

"Why don't you know that?" Charlie shot back.

Dean scoffed. "Because Demons aren't real," he answered. "Actual Demons aren't real."

There was a moment of silence before both women busted out laughing.

"Oh you poor unfortunate souls," Courtney gasped out, covering her mouth in an attempt to quiet herself.

Charlie shook her head as she leaned against the broom for support. "Oh my God!"

It was safe to say that the Winchesters were offended.

* * *

"This has both of our numbers on it," Charlie said as she offered Jenny a card. "If you even think that something's happening you call us and we'll come check on it."

Jenny sighed and took the card with a smile. "Thank you," she said before looking over to the others. "Really, thank you all so much."

Dean nodded to her. "Glad to help."

"We're just glad we got here when we did," Sam told her.

"How can I ever thank you?" she asked, looking to each of them.

Missouri shook her head. "Just take care of those babies," she told her, reaching out to grasp her hand. "I'll come back next week to check on ya but you should be safe now."

Jenny looked close to crying. "Thank you."

"Of course, dear," she said, patting her hand. "We'll get out of your hair now."

They all gave their goodbyes and shuffled out the door.

"So what are you girls going to do now?" Missouri asked as they walked towards the Impala.

"Do you mind if we stay another night?" Charlie asked.

Missouri waved them off. "You don't even have to ask," she told her. "You girls going back home?"

"We going back to Loveland?" Courtney teased, poking her sister in the back.

Charlie let out a snort. "Hell no," she said, swatting her sister's hand away. "I saw we go up to South Dakota."

Courtney's face brightened. "Really?"

"We haven't been up there in a while."

"Done. We're going to South Dakota," Courtney stated, wrapping her arm around Charlie's waist. "What about the Winchesters? Where are they off to?" she asked, looking over to them.

Both of them laughed.

"Hell if we know," Dean said, shaking his head.

"We usually find something," Sam added.

The sad thing was that there always is something just up the road.

* * *

**Missouri Moseley's House**

**Courtney + Charlie Warren**

Charlie let out a frustrated sigh and rolled over onto her back.

"Charlie, I can't sleep."

She looked over to the other couch to find Courtney watching her. "Preaching to the choir, sister."

Courtney groaned and pushed herself up. "Why can't you sleep?"

Charlie scrubbed her hands across her face. "The same reason you can't," she answered.

"Because Sam asked if Missouri was sure?"

She nodded. "Because Sam asked if Missouri was sure," she agreed, rolling off the couch and onto her knees. "You feel it too, right?"

"How could you not?" Courtney scoffed, tossing her blanket off and reaching for her boots. "Do you think he felt Mary?"

Charlie shrugged the best she could and dragged her converse towards her. "You'll have to ask him," she said, rolling back to pull the sneakers on. "Do you think we should tell Missy?"

Courtney let out a snort. "Like she doesn't already know," she said, cramming her feet into the boots and sloppily tying the laces. "Come on, let's go," she said, not even bothering to sneak as she headed for the front door.

Charlie grunted as she pushed herself to her feet, her hand snagging her bag as she followed after her sister. "John hasn't even called me back," she grumbled.

"Call him again."

"Why don't you try this time?" Charlie suggested, struggling to her keys out of her bag. "He might pick up for you," she added, unlocking the car doors and swinging into the driver's seat.

Courtney clambered in as she selected John's numbed on her phone and pressed it to her ear as she pulled the door closed.

Charlie started the Camaro's engine and pulled out onto the main street, the car roaring as Charlie blew past the speed limit

Courtney's fingers impatiently tapped against her knee as she listened to the phone ring, a disappointed groan leaving her when she went to John's voicemail. "John, call us back, please," she said before snapping her phone closed and tossing it up onto the dash. "There's something wrong with that man."

"You think?" Charlie laughed, looking over to her sister with a raised eyebrow. "What was your first clue?"

"You told him about Mary, right?"

"Of course I told him about Mary," Charlie stated. "I wouldn't expect him to call me back if I hadn't. I wouldn't expect him to come down here if I hadn't."

She shook her head and slumped further back into the seat. "You would think that if it involved Mary he would come running," she said.

"Yeah, well, this is John we're talking about," Charlie muttered. "Nothing he does would surprise me at this point," she said, turning down into the Winchester's old neighborhood.

Courtney shook her head as she watched the houses pass by. "It's hard to imagine any of them living here, huh?" she asked. "The perfect house with the white picket fence?"

"It's hard to imagine any of us living in the perfect house with a white picket fence," Charlie told her, shutting the headlights off as she turned down the street the house was on. "Hell, even Gramps and Grams house was odd."

"True, but it looked normal on the outside."

Charlie sighed wistfully. "Don't we all?"

Courtney laughed at that before something caught her attention, her smile widening when she spotted the Impala sitting in front of the house. "Looks like they had the same idea," she mused.

Charlie hummed in agreement as she slipped the Camaro into neutral and shut the engine off, coasting to a stop a few houses down from the Impala and throwing it into park. "Come on," she said, pushing open her door and climbing out. She walked up the sidewalk towards the car and knocked on Dean's window, a startled laugh leaving her when the man jumped out of his skin.

He let out a sigh when he saw who she was and rolled down his window. "What the hell?" he demanded in a hushed tone.

She beamed at him as she leaned against the door. "We thought you two took off?" she asked.

He cleared his throat and glanced over to Sam. "Yeah, well, we just wanted to make sure that it's actually over," he told her. "What are you two doing here?"

Charlie shrugged. "The same reason as you. Mind if we wait with you?" she asked, nodding to the back seats.

"Sure," Sam answered before Dean had the chance to say anything.

"Thanks," she said as Courtney pulled open the back door and crawled in. She followed in behind her and pulled the door closed.

Courtney leaned forward and rested her arms across the front seat. "Hey, boys," she greeted.

Dean shot her a nod.

"Hey, Courtney," Sam greeted back with a smile.

"We miss anything?"

They shook their heads.

"Nothing yet," Sam answered, looking back to the house.

Charlie sighed and sunk down into the leather seat, surprised by how comfortable it was. "Something's been bothering me, Sam," she spoke up. "Why did you ask Missouri if she was sure?"

He glanced back at her with a sigh. "I don't know, I still have a bad feeling," he answered.

"Why?" Dean asked. "Missouri did her whole Zelda Rubenstein thing, the house should be clean," he argued, looking between the house and his brother. "This should be over."

Sam stammered for a moment. "Yeah, well, probably but I just want to make sure. That's all," he answered before looking back at the Warren's. "I mean, you guys came back for a reason right?"

Courtney gave him a small smile. "We came back mostly because you asked Missouri if she was sure," she told him. "That doesn't happen a lot so we were worried."

Dean let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his head against the headrest. "Yeah well, the problem is that I could be sleeping in a bed right now," he complained, letting his eyes slide closed.

Charlie couldn't help but smile at the brothers' antics as she let her head roll over to the rest against the window. She was about to follow Dean's example when movement in one of the house's windows caught her attention. "Guys!" she exclaimed when she saw Jenny, her hand already opening the door.

They all scrambled out of the car, sprinting across the lawn towards the house.

"Courtney, Sam, get the kids, we'll get Jenny!" Charlie instructed as they filed into the house and up the stairs.

"Jenny!" Dean shouted as they ran for her bedroom door.

"I can't! Open the door!"

"Stand back!" Charlie told her before Dean kicked the door open. Charlie slipped into the room and grabbed Jenny. "Come on," she said, pulling her towards the door.

Jenny resisted. "My kids-"

"Sam and Courtney have your kids," Dean told her, waving her forward. "We gotta go!"

They took off down the hall, Dean and Jenny starting down the stairs when Charlie saw the glow coming from Sari's room.

"Courtney?!" she called only for the woman in question to emerge from the room with Sari in her arms. "She's okay?"

Courtney nodded quickly. "She's fine. Where's Sam?"

"Here!" Sam called, running down the hall with Ritchie in his arms. "Let's get out of here," he said before glancing back at Sari's room to see the figure on fire. He seemed to think for a moment before turning to Charlie and handing Ritchie over to her. "Get out as fast as you can."

"What are you doing?" Courtney demanded.

"Go," he said before he was knocked off his feet and dragged down the hall.

"Shit!" Charlie snapped.

"Sam!" Courtney called, moving to go after him but stopping when Charlie grabbed her arm.

She shook her head. "We have to get them out of the house," she reasoned, hugging Ritchie closer to her.

Courtney wanted to argue but knew that she couldn't. "Let's go," she said, taking off down the stairs.

Charlie followed after her, making it half way down the stairs when she felt something grab hold of her waist. "Court, take him!" she shouted, holding Ritchie out.

Her sister spun around and took the boy from her without question, jogging down the stairs and through the door.

Charlie was allowed a sigh of relief before she was flung over the railing. She hit the hardwood with a groan, her lungs struggling to pull in air.

The door slammed shut just in time for Sam to be thrown down the stairs.

* * *

**Courtney Warren + Dean Winchester**

Courtney ran across the front yard towards Jenny and Dean.

"Are you okay, babies?" Jenny asked, holding her arms open as she took back her kids.

"Courtney, where's Sam and Charlie?" Dean demanded, reaching out to grab her arm.

She shook her head and looked back to the house. "It grabbed them before they could make it out," she answered.

He looked back in time to see the front door slam closed.

"Charlie!" Courtney yelled, running back up onto the porch and trying to turn the nob. "Dean, it's locked!" she called back.

Dean ran over to the Impala and threw open the trunk, his hands working fast to load the shot gun and grab an axe before slamming the trunk again. He sprinted up to the front porch and attempted to kick it open only for it to resist. "Here," he all but growled out, handing the shotgun over to Courtney before stepping back to swing the axe.

Courtney stood back as she watched the Winchester go at the door with the axe, honestly a little impressed by the whole thing.

* * *

**Charlie Warren + Sam Winchester**

"You okay, Sam?" Charlie asked, looking over to the youngest Winchester.

"Yeah," he answered, attempting to uncurl himself from the fall.

She pulled in a strained breath and tried to sit up only to have herself pulled across the floor, spun and thrown up into the wall.

"Charlie!" Sam called, struggling to his feet towards her but only managing a few steps before he was thrown sideways into the kitchen.

Charlie couldn't help the scream that left her as she was lifted up the wall towards the ceiling, the pressure around her waist building the closer she got. "Sam!" she managed out.

Crash after crash sounded as the Poltergeist threw Sam around the kitchen, destroying several appliances before pinning him to the wall.

Sam fought against the hold only to have his head bashed back into the wall, grunts of effort leaving him.

Charlie choked on her breath as she went from the wall to the ceiling, the distinct squeeze of fingers around her throat making it impossible for her to ramble off a spell. All feelings of desperation left her when Mary's flame engulfed spirit appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Sam!" Dean's voice sounded before he and Courtney appeared next to his brother, the shot gun now in Dean's hand raised and aimed at the figure on fire.

"No don't! Don't!" Sam shouted.

"What? Why?" Dean demanded, not looking away from the fire.

"Because I know who it is," he answered. "I can see her now."

The flames flickered and sputtered around Mary's spirit before they extinguished completely, leaving her in her white nightgown and soft smile.

Dean looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to pass out or not as he lowered the shot gun. "Mom?" he asked, his voice breaking.

Her smile widened as she stepped towards him, her eyes taking in as many details as she possible could. "Dean," she said, her voice impossibly warm. "Look at you."

Dean's lips twitched into an unsure smile as he watched her, his eyes watering the longer he did so.

Mary gave him another smile before moving past him to stand in front of her youngest son. "Sam."

He let out a breathy laugh before his face twisted in pain, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Mary lost her smile. "I'm sorry," she told him.

Confusion swept across his face. "For what?" he asked, shaking his head.

She gave him a sad smile before baking away and looking up a few feet away from where Charlie was pinned. "You get out of my house," she said, her voice fracturing into two. "Let go of my son and put her down," she ordered before she was once again engulfed in flames.

Charlie felt the heat wash over her as the fire reached the ceiling. She closed her eyes and looked away as they glowed brighter and burned away the Poltergeist.

There was a moment of pause as the flames disappeared and the house returned to normal before Sam was released from the wall and Charlie from the ceiling.

The older Warren had been expecting this and managed to twist herself just right so she landed in a crouch, her decent nearly soundless.

Courtney rushed forward to her sister, her arms wrapping around her waist as she sighed in relief. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice no higher than a whisper.

Charlie nodded as she hugged her back. "You?"

"I'm fine."

Charlie rested her chin on top Courtney's head and looked over to the shaken Winchesters.

Sam swallowed hard as he looked up to where his mother had disappeared. "Now it's over."

* * *

**March 21st, 2006**

**The Winchester House**

**The Warrens + The Winchesters**

While the night had been utterly distraught the morning was surprisingly peaceful. The sky was clear and the birds were chirping without a care in the world. Jenny had been understandably uneasy about being in the house again that she insisted all four of them stayed the rest of the night. Despite their protest the girls ended up on the couch while the boys slept on the floor. They were woken by the smell of coffee and pancakes, a smiling Sari proclaiming that they were chocolate chip pancakes when the Hunters shuffled into the once again destroyed kitchen. Dean had called Missouri when it reached a decent time and the psychic had promised to be there as soon as possible. Charlie and Courtney had just finished up the dishes when she got to the house.

"Well," Missouri sighed as she stepped out of the house, "there's no spirits in that house, this time for sure," she said, sitting down on the steeps between Courtney and Sam.

He looked over to her. "Not even my mom?" he asked, sounding almost hopeful.

Missouri shook her head. "No."

Sam nodded at that with disappointment. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"Your mom's spirit and Poltergeists' energy canceled each other out," Missouri explained. "You mom destroyed herself going after that thing."

"Why would she do something like that?" Sam asked.

Courtney looked over at him with a laugh. "You're kidding, right?" she asked. "What mother wouldn't do that to protect her children?"

The answer seemed to depress Sam even more.

Missouri reached out and patted his shoulder, suddenly at a loss for words. "Sam, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You sensed it was here, didn't you? Even when we couldn't," she said, gesturing between her and Courtney.

Sam shook his head as he struggled to think of something to say. "What's happening to me?" he finally asked.

Missouri frowned. "I know I should have all the answers but I don't know," she admitted, looking away.

"Courtney?" he asked.

She watched him for a moment, debating on whether or not to tell him the truth or something to make him feel better. She sighed and shook her head. "There's a possibility that you're like the house," she told him. "That the evil that left a scar here left a scar on you. It's possible that it's made you more perceptive to things than other people," she explained, offering him a sympathetic smile.

That only seemed to make him more confused.

"Sam, you ready?!" Dean called from the car.

Sam looked over and nodded to him before pushing himself up from the steps.

Missouri and Courtney did the same, the youngest Warren looking back through the open door. "Charlie, come on!" she called.

"Coming!" Charlie called back before she jogged out the door, her nails a now bright pink color. "What do you think?" she asked, holding them up for them to see. "Sari did a pretty good jog, huh?"

Courtney nodded in agreement while Sam laughed.

"They're beautiful, honey," Missouri praised with a little chuckle.

Charlie beamed at that and all but skipped down the front walk.

Jenny met them half way, giving each of the girls a hug and a thank you.

"You still have our card, right?" Courtney asked as she pulled back.

Jenny nodded. "Trust me, I'm not losing it anytime soon," she promised.

"Make sure you don't," Charlie said, shooting her a wink before making her way towards Dean. "Hey, Winchester," she said once she was close enough.

He looked up to her. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Would it be terrible of me if I said we should do this again?" she asked, walking around the Impala to stand in front of him.

Dean laughed at that. "Not as terrible as me saying we should," he answered, flashing her a smirk.

"Seeing as your dad's voice mail gave me your number it's only fair that you have mine, don't you think?" she asked, holding her hand out.

Surprisingly he didn't hesitate in handing his phone to her.

Charlie entered her info with a smirk, unable to help but wonder what John would make of the whole situation. "There you go," she said, closing the phone and handing it back to him. "Fair warning, calling between one and six in the morning will cost you extra," she told him.

He all but beamed at her. "I'll remember that," he told her, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

"Be sure that you do," she said, backing up towards her Camaro. "Come on, Court!" she called.

Courtney waved her off before turning back to Sam and holding up a card like they had given Jenny. "For when you want to see those Latin texts," she told him, slipping it into his jacket pocket and turning to walk off to the Camaro.

Sam watched her with a smile, utterly amused by the two of them.

"Pleasure not dying with all of you!" they chorused as they climbed into the car, the engine roaring a moment later before the peeled off down the road.

Charlie glanced in the rearview mirror to watch the house shrink and disappear. "That was an interesting adventure," she mused, looking back to the road.

"They must take after their mother," Courtney mused, reaching out to grab her phone off the dash and flipping it open, a laugh escaping her when she saw the screen. "Guess who called back," she said.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "I'm the one who left the message and yet he calls you back," she complained, shaking her head.

Courtney smirked as she listened to the voicemail. "He's at Missouri's," she relayed. "He wants to talk."

"Of course he does," Charlie said, turning out onto the main road to head towards Missouri's house.

* * *

**Missouri Moseley's House**

**Courtney + Charlie Warren**

The monstrosity that was John's black truck was parked front of the house like an omen.

Charlie sighed as she pulled up behind it, hesitating to turn the engine off. "We could just keep driving," she stated. "Tell him we didn't get his message till we were states away."

Courtney let out a snort. "That'd just piss him off even more."

"What do you think he wants to talk about?"

"Mary."

Charlie grimaced at that, knowing the conversation had a very good chance of going bad.

Courtney sighed and threw open the passenger's door. "Come on," she encouraged.

Charlie groaned and shut the engine off. "Don't blame me if this goes south," she told her, climbing out of the car and heading up the front walk with her sister.

Courtney once again used their borrowed key to unlock the front door and held it open, Charlie giving her a nod of thanks as she stepped in.

"John?!" Charlie called, searching the front parlor for any sign of the man.

"Kitchen," John's dull reply sounded.

The girls headed down the hall and peered into the kitchen to find the man hunkered down at the table with a cup of coffee sitting in front of him.

"Hey, John," Courtney said cautiously.

He gave a nod without looking up at them.

Charlie cleared her throat. "You wanted to talk?" she reminded him.

"Yeah," he grunted out, bring a hand up to rub across his face. "Yeah, I wanted to talk."

Charlie glanced over at her sister before stepping into the room and taking the seat across from the man. "Mary saved us," she told him.

John's head snapped up at that. "What?"

She nodded.

"Show me."

Charlie reached over and grabbed hold of John's head before forcing her way into his mind, the glow from her eyes reflecting in his like it had the first time they had met.

Courtney let out a sigh and pushed off the doorway to grab herself a cup of coffee. She had never been fond of going to someone's head, even during training she was hesitant. She wasn't sure what it was but it never sat right with her. Her sister, on the other hand, was a natural.

John jerked away from Charlie's hands like he always did and got up from the table to pace across the room. "God dammit," he snarled, running his hands through this hair. "Why didn't Missouri find her when she walked through the first time?" he demanded, looking back to them.

"Because she was dormant till Jenny and the kids moved in," Courtney answered, sipping at her coffee. "We didn't even know who she was till we did the seal."

"Fuck!" he snapped, his hands shaking as he clenched them into fists, the temptation to hit something almost too much.

"At least Sam got to see her," Charlie noted, attempting to lighten the situation. "Dean too."

He glared over at her. "She shouldn't have been there in the first place."

"I agree," Charlie said with a nod. "There was nothing in that house for her to be tethered to. She shouldn't have been there."

"Stranger things have happened," Courtney mused.

John turned his glare to her. "Not to Mary."

Charlie scoffed. "Yes, because being burned alive on the ceiling isn't strange at all."

If it had been anyone other than Charlie to say that John would have bludgeoned them to death.

"Think of it this way," Courtney started, catching the man's attention, "if she hadn't of been in the house then several of us would be dead or seriously injured. Not to mention what would have happened to Jenny and the kids."

John couldn't deny that.

"So are you going to talk to your sons?" Charlie asked, unable to help feel a little confrontational.

He sighed again and leaned back against the counter. "God, do I want to," he admitted. "But I can't. Not yet. It's too dangerous for me to be around them."

Surprisingly Charlie accepted that answer. "Do you have any leads? Because Loveland was a waste of time."

John shook his head. "I lost him when I came back here."

"We'll find him again," Courtney encouraged. "We've done if before."

"Have you heard any gossip on the Colt lately?" Charlie asked.

"No more than the usual," he answered before letting out a humorless laugh. "One guy said that the Knights Templar has it."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "They'll be saying that Queen Elizabeth has it next, just watch."

"Godfrey would throw a tantrum if that were true," Charlie said, already imagining the Scottish man tearing apart the library while cursing the English. "I would pay to see that."

Courtney glanced over to the clock on the wall and sighed. "If we're going to make it there before dark we should leave," she noted.

Charlie sighed and got up from the table. "Well, despite nearly dying it was fun to meet your spawn," she said, giving John a bright smile. "Do call again if you need us to intercept them again. It would be our pleasure."

"Charlie," John warned.

She held her hands up in defense.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, John," she said, grabbing her sister's arm and dragging her out of the room. "Do you have to egg him on?" she demanded.

Charlie smiled to herself. "He makes it so easy."

"So is smothering you in your sleep but you don't see me doing it every chance I get," Courtney stated as she set their borrowed key onto the side table before pulling open the front door.

"Please, like you would smother me," Charlie dismissed, once again pulling out her car keys. "Who would you talk to after?"

"I'm perfectly capable of talking to myself, thank you very much."

"Yeah, that's usually not something you should be prideful in," Charlie told her.

She held her head higher. "You should take pride in any accomplishment. It keeps the self-loathing away."

It was Charlie's turn to roll her eyes. "If only it was that simple."

* * *

**Can I just say that the layout of the Winchesters old house is complete and total shit. I had no idea where any of them were at any point during this so I just sort of gave up, so I apologize if it's confusing. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Reviews=Love**


	4. Scarecrow Part 1

**April 14th, 2006**

**Hilton Nashville Downtown Hotel**

**Nashville, Tennessee**

**Charlie Warren**

Charlie jerked awake at the sound of the shrill ringing of her phone. A groan left her as detangled herself from the sheets and reached for the nightstand, pausing to glance at the alarm clock before answering the offending object.

"I hope you know this is going to cost you extra," she greeted, managing to put some warmth in her voice.

Dean chuckled at that. _"I was hoping that I could get the friends and family discount," _he told her.

She let out a snort. "Oh, honey, my friends and family don't have this number," she teased, pushing herself up to sit against the headboard. "So what can I do for you at three in the morning?"

He let out a groan. _"It's three?" _he asked. _"Shit, I'm sorry, Charlie, I didn't even-" _

"I'm already awake, Dean, there's no point in apologizing," she interrupted. "What did you want to talk about?"

_"Who said I wanted to talk about something?" _

"If you were going to ask me about a hunt you wouldn't have tried to apologize about the time," she pointed out. "Now, what do you want to talk about?"

He was quiet for a moment before letting out a long sigh. _"I really don't know why I called you," _he admitted. _"I just…." _

"Wanted someone other than your brother to talk to?" she suggested.

_"Let's go with that," _he agreed. _"So what's happened since the last time I saw you?" _

She pulled in a deep breath as she thought that through. "Well, Courtney and I have made great leeway in our study of the destructive patterns of Poltergeists," she answered. "We've taken out three of the nasty bastards and each and every one of them fucked up some poor family's kitchen. We still can't figure out why they do it but they do it."

He laughed at that. _"I can't believe you're actually studying the damn things," _he said.

She laughed with him. "They're actually fascinating creatures," she told him. "You know, when they're not trying to kill you."

_"Charlie, they're always trying to kill us," _he reminded her.

"I guess I've just gotten used to it," she said.

_"Yeah, like that isn't fucked up." _

Charlie laughed at that. "Yeah, well, if something isn't trying to kill you then you're not doing your job right," she stated.

_"Ain't that the truth?" _he agreed with a soft chuckle. _"Hey, uh, can I ask you a kind of personal question?" _

She thought about that for a moment before letting out a sigh. "What's a personal question between acquaintances?"

_"How did you and Courtney get into hunting?" _

She hadn't expected that question. "Born into it," she answered. "Like we told you, we're third generation Exorcists."

_"Yeah, but did you have a choice?" _

She frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

_"Did you ever get the choice of having a normal life?" _

She hesitated at that.

_"Charlie?" _

"I've never really thought about it before," she admitted, slumping further back against the headboard. "Uh, being a Warren means that Hunting is normal but, uh, Courtney and I kind of forced our way in."

_"What do you mean?" _

"Our mom died when I was eight and Courtney was four," she answered. "Dad left us with a family friend because he didn't want us to be involved but we couldn't let it go. We studied, learned everything we could and five years later we told him that he couldn't stop us from helping. He knew we were right and from then on we were hunting."

He was quiet for a moment. _"So you never wanted a normal life?" _

"I would be lying if I said I've never thought about it," she told him. "Every Hunter thinks about it at least once. Haven't you?"

_"More times than I care to admit," _he answered, the sound of a beer being uncapped following.

She pursed her lips at that. "Why did you really call me at three in the morning, Dean?"

He didn't respond.

"Did something happen?" she pressed.

_"Nothing you wanna hear about," _he finally answered.

"Dean, you wouldn't have called me if you didn't want to talk."

He let out a frustrated sigh. _"Have you heard of the Roosevelt Asylum?" _

"Yeah, in Rockford, Illinois," she answered. "Dr. Elllicot experimented on his patients, they ended up killing him, right?"

_"Yeah, well, people were going in sane and coming back out homicidal," _he told her. _"We got trapped in the building with these idiot kids and Sammy and me got separated." _

She listened to him gulp down his beer. "What happened to Sam?"

_"Dr. Ellicot was frying peoples brains, hardwiring them to attack their families. Sam, he, uh, he came after me." _

"Are you okay?" she found herself asking.

He let out a humorless laugh. _"That depends on your definition of 'okay'." _

"Are you physically injured?" she rephrased.

_"Nothing you need to worry about, sweetheart," _he assured her.

"Okay," she allowed, "but I have a feeling that your brother going after you wouldn't bother you this much."

He sighed again. _"It's stupid." _

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously it's not if it has you calling me at three in the morning," she pointed out.

_"Charlie-" _

"Just tell me, Dean," she interrupted, finding her patience dwindling.

_"He said some things about me not having a mind of my own and how we're not any closer to finding Dad then we were six months ago. He said that he was sick of me telling him what to do," _he rushed out. _"So I gave him one of my guns and told him that if he hated me so much then he should pull the trigger." _

Charlie's eyes slipped closed as she let her head drop back against the wall. "Please tell me it wasn't loaded."

_"I'm not an idiot, Charlie," _he chastised.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she apologized, "but he did pull the trigger."

The sound of another beer opening sounded. _"Yeah, he pulled it." _

She sighed and shook her head. "You know he wasn't himself, right?" she questioned. "That it wasn't Sam?"

_"Only problem is that it was Sam," _he argued. _"Because no matter what that son of a bitch did to him it was still his thoughts. It was still my brother." _

"Dean, you just said that he had his head hardwired," she reminded him. "Do you honestly think that if it had been you you wouldn't have said things like that?" she challenged.

_"I've never-" _

"Had a harmful thought about your brother?" she asked with a laugh. "I find that hard to believe."

He was quiet for a moment. _"I don't blame him. I can't. He's right." _

"Right about what?"

_"Everything," _he answered.

"No he's not," she argued. "Dean, you have a mind of your own and you not finding your dad is because he doesn't want to be found," she told him, "and maybe he is sick of you telling him what to do but he's his own person, he can argue with you, give his opinion. That's his own fault, not yours."

_"It's not that simple, Charlie," _he told her with a sigh. _"It's just….not." _

She knew that he was right, that every sibling dynamic was different. She knew how Courtney and she would handle it but she didn't know the Winchesters well enough to gauge it. "What are you going to do?"

_"What we always do," _he said, _"act like it didn't happen." _

"Well that's not healthy," she mused.

He scoffed. _"What are you talking about? We're the poster children of health." _

She couldn't help but smile at that. "I wouldn't really call you children," she told him. "More like those Abercrombie and Fitch models that are all too happy to strip for the sake of retail sales. Maybe that's what you and Sam could do instead of Hunting," she suggested. "I hear that they get better tips than pole dancers."

_"Well shit," _he laughed out. _"I'm quitting my day job." _

"I'm right there with you," she stated.

He sobered after a moment and let out another sigh. _"I'm sorry about calling so late," _he apologized again.

"Buy me a drink the next time we see each other and we'll call it even," she told him.

_"You got yourself a deal, sweetheart." _

She beamed at that and nodded despite him not being able to see it. "Finish up that beer and get some sleep, okay, Winchester?" she requested.

_"Will do, Warren," _he complied. _"Goodnight." _

"Goodnight."

* * *

**The Mustang**

**Just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania**

**Courtney + Charlie Warren**

The roar of the Camaro nearly drowned out of the music blasting from the stereo as it cruised down the Pennsylvania road. Charlie was laid out in the passenger's seat with the window rolled down while Courtney gripped the wheel with a smirk, her hair flying wild in the night air. They had been on the road for little over ten hours and they had five more ahead of them but neither of the women were complaining.

Credence Clear Water Revival's Green River had just started to play when Charlie's cellphone interrupted the peace.

She grumbled as she pulled it out of her pocket, a small smile pulling at her lips when she saw the caller ID. "Well it's been forever and an age since I last talked to you," she greeted.

_"What can I say? I've missed our conversations," _Dean greeted back with a small chuckle. _"Where are you?" _

Charlie pushed herself up in her seat to look out the window. "We are just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania," she answered. "I believe it's my turn to ask where you are."

_"I'm on my way to Burkittsville, Indiana. I've got a list of couples that have disappeared while traveling through the town and I was wondering if you wanted to meet up." _

She arched an eyebrow at that. "That doesn't sound like something the Winchesters would need our help with," she stated.

_"Yeah, uh, it's just me on this one." _

She frowned at that. "Where's Sam?"

Courtney glanced over at her.

Dean let out a sigh. _"Dad called this morning and Sammy tracked it back to California. He wanted to go looking for him but Dad told us not to. We argued, he got out of the car and I left him there." _

"You left him there?" she repeated.

_"He told me to," _he defended. _"I threatened to leave him there and he said it was what he wanted me to do, what was I supposed to do?" _

Charlie rolled her eyes. "God, you Winchesters are so stubborn," she accused. "You're going to Burkittsville, Indiana?"

_"Yeah." _

She thought for a moment. "I can get there in ten hours," she told him.

_"Where's the little sister?" _

"Hang on," she said before pressing the phone to her chest. "So, Sam has tracked John to California and he ditched Dean somewhere around Indiana. Do you want to go after him? Make sure he doesn't get himself killed?"

Courtney let out a snort of laughter but nodded nonetheless. "Why the hell not?" she asked. "It shouldn't be too hard to find the Jolly Green Giant."

Charlie gave her a wink as she pressed the phone to her ear. "Little sister shall be going after little brother," she explained. "She'll drop me off in Burkittsville and continue on to catch up with him. He can hitchhike with her, maybe she can talk some sense into him before they get all the way to California."

Dean was quiet for a moment. _"That's, uh, that's kind of overkill, isn't it?" _he asked. _"I mean, Sammy can handle himself." _

"Yeah, but let's just say that it'll be all our asses if Sam actually manages to track down John," she explained. "I'm really not looking forward to a lecture from Papa Winchester."

Dean barked out a laugh. _"Can't say I blame you there," _he said. _"So, I'll see ya in a few hours?" _

"I'll call you when I get into town," she told him.

_"Alright, drive safe." _

"You too," she said before hanging up. "I knew these boys were going to be trouble the moment I saw them," she stated, pulling the lever on her seat to bring it upright. "Pull off at the next gas station and I'll take over for the next five, alright?"

Courtney shook her head. "What the hell was John thinking?" she asked. "I mean, what did he expect to happen?"

"I think both of us can agree that John expects everyone to just follow his orders."

"Understatement," she scoffed.

Charlie smirked at that. "Honestly, I feel bad for the kid," she admitted. "Could you imagine growing up with John?"

Courtney pulled a face that summed it up pretty well.

She shook her head and looked down at her phone. "A part of me is saying we should call John and another part is saying 'fuck him'."

"Fuck him," Courtney advised. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Charlie gave a nod and shoved the object in question back into her pocket. "I love the way you think."

* * *

**Ten Hours Later**

**Burkittsville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

"Well isn't this a slice of nowhere," Courtney commented as they pulled into the small town.

Charlie frowned as she looked out the window. "Do you feel that?" she asked, the knot growing in her stomach.

"Yeah," she agreed, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the town. "It's something…..old."

She wrinkled her nose as she pulled up to the curb and parked. "I swear to all that is holy if this is a Pagan god I'm going to scream," she stated, twisting around and grabbing her bag from the backseat. "I hate Pagan gods."

"You and me both," Courtney agreed, throwing open the passenger's door and stepping out onto the sidewalk. "This really is the middle of nowhere."

Charlie followed suit of her sister and threw open the driver's door. "It's kind of surprising how thriving it is, huh?" she asked, closing the door and walking over to her sister. "It has to be a Pagan god."

"Don't assume," Courtney chastised.

She rolled her eyes and pulled the shorter woman into a hug. "Good luck on your hunt for Big Foot."

"Have fun on your date."

Charlie scoffed and pushed her away. "It's not a date," she denied.

Courtney held her hands up in defense. "Whatever you say, sis," she said, backing up to walk around the car. "Hunt well."

She gave her a nod. "Stay safe."

"Always am," she said swinging down into the driver's seat.

Charlie waited for the Camaro to disappear down the street before beginning her search for Dean. She was pulling her phone out when she spotted him across the street. She jaywalked over and snuck up behind him. "Guess who," she said as her hands came up to cover his eyes.

He tensed at the sudden contact but didn't jerk away from her, his hands coming up to cover hers. "Candy. From that phone sex hotline, right?"

"Oh, in your dreams, honey," she said, pulling her hands back to smack his shoulders. "Please tell me you don't actually call those places."

He spun around to face her, a wide smile stretching across his lips. "I get lonely," he defended.

She rolled her eyes. "So, what have you found out?"

Dean glanced over his shoulder before shaking his head. "I'll explain on the way. Come on," he said, turning back and starting back the way he was going before.

Charlie fell in step beside him as she looked the town over. "Have you ever heard of this place before?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not till yesterday morning," he answered.

"Yeah, me neither," she mused. "Kind of strange, huh?"

He shrugged. "It's a small place."

"I guess," she muttered before perking up when she spotted the Impala. "She gets prettier every time I see her," she complimented.

Dean beamed at that. "Doesn't she?" he asked.

"I don't suppose you'd ever let me drive her?" she asked despite already knowing the answer.

He barked out a laugh and shook his head. "No can do, sweetheart," he stated. "It's a miracle I even let Sammy drive."

"Mark my words, I'll drive her one day," she told him, walking out into the street to climb into the passenger's seat.

Dean let out another laugh as he got into the driver's seat. "Yeah, the day I'm dying."

"You just jinxed yourself," she told him, shoving her bag down to her feet and pausing when she spotted the shoebox. She pulled it up onto her lap and smiled at the cassette tapes it help. "A Tracks were too retro for you?" she questioned.

He glanced over at her as he started the engine. "Oh, don't you start on that too," he said. "I've got a stereo with a tape player, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Calm down, I was just teasing," she told him, shifting through the plastic cases. "I haven't heard this in a while," she mused, picking one out and reaching for the stereo.

Dean's hand shot out and smacked hers away. "Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts her cakehole."

She looked to him in surprise. "Technically this is the driver's music," she stated, "and if you smack my hand again I'll smack your face."

That seemed to shut him up.

She smiled triumphantly and exchanged the tapes, turning the volume up as Foreigner's Feels Like the First Time began to play. "Is that so bad?" she asked.

Dean cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Guess not," he allowed, pulling the Impala out onto the road.

"So where are we going?" she asked.

"The last couple that went missing stopped in town and asked for directions back to the interstate. It's the only way out of town so they all had to have left this way, right?"

She nodded. "Right," she agreed. "So John called?"

"Wow," Dean said, glancing over at her. "You don't waste time, do you?"

She shrugged. "I can be blunt sometimes," she admitted, "but I really do hate dancing around issues."

"It's not an issue."

Charlie thought to push him but if she pissed him off she would be stuck with him so she let it go. "Okay, but can I ask why you called me?"

He scoffed. "You didn't have to come, sweetheart."

She shot him a look. "That's not what I meant," she argued.

"Then what did you mean?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "I meant, out of everyone you know why did you call me for help?"

He was quiet for a moment before shrugging it off the best he could. "I owe you a drink," he offered. "Anyway, I could ask you the same question. Why did you drive ten hours just because I called?"

She smiled over at him. "You owe me a drink," she answered.

He rolled his eyes and let out a soft laugh. "You think you're so clever."

She shot him a wink before looking out her window, a soft smile pulling at her lips when the town disappeared into forest. "I love stuff like this," she mused.

"What? Missing people?"

She smacked his shoulder aimlessly. "No, being on the road," she corrected.

"We spend our whole lives on the road," he pointed out.

She looked over to him. "And don't you dare tell me that you don't like driving," she challenged.

Dean couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face as his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "Okay, I won't tell you."

She nodded. "So do I but I love the ride, you know?" she asked. "I mean, Courtney and I were in the middle of a 15 hour drive when you called and it didn't even faze us to turn back around and drive another ten."

"Wait, turn back around?" he asked, looking over at her. "You said you were in Pennsylvania."

"Yeah, but we started in Nashville," she told him.

He shook his head at that. "Let me get this straight," he said, holding his free hand up. "You drove ten hours from Tennessee to Pennsylvania only to drive another ten hours back the way you came?"

She shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Because I called?"

"Because you asked me."

His eyebrows shot up at that. "Huh," he said, looking back to the road. "That, uh, I don't know what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything," she told him. "It's not that big of a deal."

"If you say so," he muttered.

She glanced over at him but didn't comment, a little amused by the whole thing. She was about to roll down the window when a wiring sound came from the back seat. "What is that?" she asked.

Dean glanced back and frowned. "What the hell?" he asked before reaching back and digging through his bag, struggling as he did so.

Charlie rolled her eyes and turned around in her seat. "Eyes on the road," she told him, moving his arm away before grabbing his bag and shifting through it.

"Seriously?" he asked, looking between her and the road almost nervously.

She ignored him and pulled out the offending object. "Is this an EMF reader?" she asked, sitting properly again as she looked it over.

Dean frowned and pulled off to the side of the road. "Yeah."

She looked up at him. "Did you make this?"

"Yeah, out of a Walkman," he answered.

A laugh escaped her as she looked back down at it. "That's impressive," she praised. "I wouldn't even know how to do that."

Dean shrugged it off with a smile. "It's easy," he dismissed.

She scoffed and looked around them, trying to spot whatever had set it off. "Is that an apple orchard?" she asked, pointing over his shoulder.

He twisted around. "Looks like it," he answered. "D'you think that's it?"

Charlie frowned. "It's the only thing around," she stated.

"How easy do you think it would be to get lost in there?" he asked, scanning the rows of trees.

"Considering that everything would look the same? Very easy."

He gave a nod. "Let's go check it out," he said before climbing out of the car.

She tossed the EMF back into his bag before following after him. "You know, if we weren't looking for missing people this would be pretty cool," she noted. "I've never been in an orchard before."

"Well, don't say I never take you anywhere," Dean said, crossing over to one of the other rows.

Charlie lulled behind him, the knot in her stomach getting tighter and tighter the farther they went into the trees. She spun in a slow circle before she spotted it, her eyes widening as a shiver passed down her spine.

"Is that normal?"

Charlie looked over to Dean and found him watching the fog. "Not really but it's not as bad as the scarecrow," she answered, reaching out to grab his arm and pull him around. "I thought scarecrows were supposed to be made of hay and burlap?" she asked, walking towards it with his arm still in her hand.

They stopped in front of it, looks of disgust twisting across both their faces.

"Dude, you fugly," Dean commented.

Charlie would have laughed if she hadn't of been grossed out. "That's skin, isn't it?" she asked, looking at the face. "And hair."

Instead of answering Dean stepped over and grabbed one of the ladders. He maneuvered around Charlie and set it in front of the scarecrow before climbing up.

"Careful," Charlie warned, holding onto the ladder to keep it sturdy. "I'm getting serious Jeepers Creepers vibes off of that thing."

Dean paused as if waiting for it to move before reaching out to push the sleeve up on its right arm. He pulled the missing persons flyer out of his jacket and looked it over before holding it down to her. "Those look the same to you?" he asked.

She took the flyer and stepped up to the arm, stretching up onto her tiptoes to get a better look at the dried skin. "I wish I could say no but I can't," she answered.

Dean let out a humorless laugh and looked back to the scarecrow. "Nice tat."

Charlie shook her head as she backed away from it. "I knew something wasn't right with this town," she stated.

Dean started back down the ladder. "You know, the only person to recognize them was this twentysomething girl at the general store. Then when she said something the couple I was talking suddenly remembered them."

Charlie pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. "She's the only one?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Out of the whole town?"

"Yep."

"I think we should talk to her again."

"Yep."

She pulled a face at that and smacked his shoulder. "Stop saying yep," she complained. "You sound like a broken record."

He shot her a look as he rubbed his shoulder. "You've hit the same damn spot each time," he told her. "How do women do that?"

"It's genetic," she answered with a wide smile. "How many women have slapped you?"

He paused to think for a moment before shaking his head. "Honestly, I've lost count," he answered. "I've pissed off a lot of women."

"That doesn't surprise me. You've got one of those faces."

He frowned at that. "What the hell does that mean?"

She reached out and cupped either side of his face. "Have you ever heard the saying 'he's so handsome I could just slap him'?" she asked.

His eyebrows pulled together as he gave a small nod. "Yeah?"

"Well, Dean," she said, pulling his face closer to hers, "you're so handsome I could just slap you," she told him, bringing her hands out and back in to smack his cheeks. "Feel better?" she asked, letting him go and starting back towards the car.

"Not really!" he called out before jogging to catch up to her.

* * *

**The Mustang**

**Just outside Burkittsville, Indiana**

**Courtney Warren**

She glanced back in the rearview mirror as she passed the town line and pulled off onto the shoulder. She threw the Camaro into park and popped open the glove box to pull out the map they kept there. She folded out the section with Indiana and pulled her knife from her boot. She ran the blade across the pad of her thumb and let the blood drip down onto the map.

**In nomine Domine **

**Perelitum invenire filius **

**Samuel Winchester**

Her blood darkened as it glided across the surface of the map before stopping on Galesburg, IL.

Courtney licked the blood off her finger as she smiled at the map. "Gotcha, Winchester," she said before turning back in her seat and shifting the car into drive, gravel spraying out behind as she took off down the road.

* * *

**Burkittsville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

"There she is," Dean said as he pulled up to the general store just in front of the gas pump.

"She looks innocent enough," Charlie mused, flashing her a smile when she looked over.

Dean let out a laugh. "Yeah, they always do," he agreed before getting out of the car.

Charlie couldn't help but agree with that as she climbed out, looking the girl over with a now wary eye.

"You're back," she said to Dean as he walked around the car.

He shook his head. "Never left," he told her.

"You still looking for your friends?" she asked, looking between him and Charlie.

He leaned against the back of the Impala and nodded to the trunk. "You mind filling her up there, uh, Emily?" he asked, looking at the gold necklace with the name on it around her neck.

The girl nodded and did just that, even managing to find the gas cap under the license plate.

Charlie was slightly impressed with that as she walked around to join Dean against the car, making a show of stretching her legs.

"So, did you grow up here?" Dean asked, attempting to sound casual.

"I came here when I was 13," she answered. "I lost my parents in a car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in."

Dean gave a nod. "Well they're nice people."

Emily nodded. "Everybody's nice here."

Charlie let out a soft laugh. "The perfect little town, huh?" she asked.

Emily shrugged. "It's the boonies but I love it. I mean, all the towns around us are losing their homes, their farms, but out here it's almost like we're blessed."

That all but confirmed it for Charlie. "So, we went out to the orchard," she started, "and the scarecrow that's out there? Jesus Christ it gave me a heart attack."

Emily nodded as she laughed. "Yeah, it's always creeped me out," she agreed.

"Whose is it?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," she answered. "It's always been there."

The two accepted that, knowing that it was probably true.

Dean peered over her shoulder and looked at the red SUV parked in front of the garage. "That your aunt and uncle's?" he asked, nodding over to it.

Emily glanced back and shook her head. "It's a customers. They were having car troubles."

Dean nodded at that. "It's not a couple is it? A guy and a girl?"

"Mhm."

He gave a strained smile before looking over to Charlie. "You hungry, sweetheart?" he asked, bringing his arm up to wrap around her waist.

She raised an eyebrow at that but went along with it. "Sure, honey, I could eat," she answered, raising her own arm up to wrap around his waist, her hand shifting down his lip to slip into his back pocket.

Dean jerked up straight at that and looked down at her in surprise.

She smirked up at him and flexed her fingers, challenging him to say something.

He cleared his throat and relaxed back into her. "Is, uh, is Scotty's any good?" he asked, looking to Emily.

She nodded with a bright smile. "Oh yeah, they've got the best apple pie."

Charlie perked up at that. "Apple pie?" she asked before smacking Dean on the chest. "Honey, we're going to Scotty's."

He laughed at that and nodded. "Guess we're going to Scotty's," he said, reaching into his pocket with his free hand to pull out his wallet. "How much do I owe ya?" he asked, nodding to the pump.

Emily glanced back before crouching back down to pull the hose from tank and twisting the cap back on. "Ten even," she answered, putting the hose back.

Charlie pulled away from Dean and started back around the car, the prospect of pie putting a skip in her step. "Let's go, honey!" she called, practically clambering into the passenger's seat.

Dean laughed and handed Emily the ten dollar bill. "Thanks, Emily," he told her, flashing her his smirk before walking back to the driver's seat. "Really? The ass grab?" he asked as he started the Impala again.

She looked over to him. "Are you complaining?" she asked.

"No. God no," he answered, shaking his head. "I'm just surprised is all."

Charlie shrugged. "I saw an opportunity and I took it," she explained. "Now come on, I want that pie."

He laughed as he pulled away from the store and drove down the street to the store front that read Scotty's Cafe. "Oh, uh, call me John Bonham."

She snorted at that. "You seriously used the drummer's name from Led Zeppelin?" she asked.

He pulled a face. "No one ever knows the drummer's name," he defended.

"Obviously not," she mused shaking her head. "You need to work on that, honey," she told him, throwing open passenger's door and stepping out onto the curb.

"Sweetheart, I'm perfect," Dean said as he climbed out, his door creaking like it always did as he shut it.

"I'll believe it when I see it," she told him.

He winked at her as he jogged up to the door and held it open for her. "Sweetheart?"

She let out a dramatic gasp and walked forward. "What a gentleman," she said, stepping in.

The windows were covered with white lace curtains and a few tables were scattered across the room. A couple sat at the closest table to the door, a man standing at their sides.

"Hiya, Scotty," Dean greeted as he went in after her, looking to the man next to the couple. "I'll take a cup of black coffee and a slice of pie for me and my girl," he said, walking them over to the table beside the couple. "How you doing? Just passing through?" he asked.

They looked over.

"Road trip," the woman answered.

Charlie flashed them a smile. "Us too," she told them. "We're on our way to New York. Right, honey?" she asked, reaching out to put her hand over Dean's.

He put on a wide fake smile. "Yep, all the way from Texas," he agreed.

Scotty walked past them with a pitched of what looked like apple cider and filled the other couples glasses. "I'm sure these people want to eat in peace," he commented, glaring over at Dean.

"Just a little friendly conversation," Dean defended.

Charlie smiled up at him innocently. "I just want pie."

"And that coffee," Dean added.

Scotty continued to glare as he walked back to the bar.

"So what brings you to town?" Dean asked, undeterred by Scotty's annoyance.

"We just stopped for gas and, uh, the guy at the gas station saved our lives," the woman answered once again.

Charlie let out a soft laugh. "Really?"

The man nodded. "One of our break lines were leaking," he explained. "We had no idea. He'd fixing it for us."

"Nice people," Dean noted, glancing over to Charlie. "So how long till you're up and running again?"

"Sundown," he answered.

Charlie pulled a face. "For a brake line?" she asked, moving her foot under the table to tap it against Dean's.

He nodded.

She frowned and looked over to Dean. "Honey, they're getting ripped off," she said in a low tone.

Dean nodded and leaned over towards the guy. "You know, I have a garage back in Texas and I could take a look at your car for you," he told them. "Get you back up and running in an hour."

"No charge," Charlie threw in, hoping it would seal the deal.

The couple looked to each other with uncomfortable expressions.

The woman gave a Dean a smile. "Thanks for the offer but I think we'll just let them handle it," she told him.

Charlie tilted her head and gave them a concerned look. "Are you sure?" she asked. "We've been on this road for a couple of days and we've seen about five accidents after dark. It's really not that safe."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, we stop every night. It's dangerous out there."

"Thank you for the concern but we'll be okay," the guy said, nodding to them before looking back to his food.

Dean frowned and leaned a little closer. "Listen, I don't think-"

"Oh, John, honey, leave them alone," Charlie said, reaching out to pull him back into his seat. "They're big kids, they can take care of themselves."

Dean looked back at her with surprise.

She gave him a tight lipped smile and shook her head.

He glanced back at the couple but gave up, turning back to their table. "If Sam was here he would give them those puppy dog eyes and they'd buy right into it," he grumbled, slumping forward.

Charlie gave him a sympathetic look and rubbed her hand across his shoulders. "How did you ever manage without him?"

He let out a laugh. "Hell if I know," he answered.

The door to the café opened and a cop stepped, looking directly to Charlie and Dean.

"Sheriff, thanks for coming," Scotty said, walking out from behind the bar to the front of the café, pulling the sheriff towards the windows to whisper.

Charlie frowned and gripped Dean's shoulder. "He really doesn't like you, does he?" she asked.

Dean shook his head. "No he does not," he agreed.

"He can't arrest us," Charlie said. "The worse he can do is run us out of town."

He looked back to her. "You know that from experience?"

"You have no idea," she said before smiling up at the Sheriff as he walked over.

"I'd like a word, please," he said, looking to Dean.

Charlie sighed dramatically and glared at the Winchester. "Oh what have you done now?" she demanded.

He shot her a look. "Nothing," he told her before looking up at the cop. "Come on, I'm having a bad day already"

The Sheriff leaned down against the table. "You don't want to make it worse."

Dean opened his mouth to retort but cut off when Charlie kicked him under the table.

"Go talk to the nice man," she told him. "I'll get our pie and coffee to go."

He gave her a sour look but got up all the same and followed the Sheriff out of the café.

Charlie sighed and looked up to Scotty. "I don't know what he did but I want to apologize," she told him. "We're on the same route the people we're looking for took and he's becoming more and more antsy with each town."

The man was entirely unamused.

"So I'm sorry and if it's not too much trouble could we get that pie and coffee to go?" she asked, smiling up at him brightly.

He watched her for a moment before walking back to the kitchen.

Charlie stuck her tongue out at him as he walked away and looked back out the window to where Dean and the Sheriff were arguing.

"I'm so sorry," the woman said, remorse written across her face. "We didn't want-"

She waved them off. "That has nothing to do with you two," she assured her. "John probably got a little too enthusiastic while asking people questions."

The guy looked over to her. "You said you were looking for people?"

She nodded with a sad smile. "Two of our friends went missing. John and I are retracing their route, asking around at every town if someone recognizes them. John was closer to them so he doesn't handle the rejection so well," she explained. "This is the first place that's anyone said they've seen them."

She shook her head. "I'm so sorry."

"How long have they been missing?" he asked.

"It'll be a year next week. It's why he's so determined."

The two looked to each other with frowns.

"Is that why he was so concerned about us on the road after dark?" she asked.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah."

The guy sighed and gave her a sympathetic smile. "I hope you find them."

"Thank you," she said before Scotty walked over to her, a Styrofoam container with two to-go coffees sitting on top. "Thank you, Scotty," she said, getting up from her chair and reaching into her pocket to pull out the twenty she kept there. She grabbed the food from him and slipped the bill into his shirt pocket before starting towards the door. "Stay safe, you two," she said, nodding to the couple before stepping out onto the sidewalk.

"Oh come on, I didn't do anything!" Dean snapped.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Honey, stop arguing with the nice man," she called, walking over to them. "Are you going to arrest him for anything?" she asked, handing the food off to Dean as she stood between him and the Sheriff.

The man watched her for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "No, Ma'am," he answered.

"Then we'll get out of your hair," she told him before spinning around and pushing Dean towards the front of the car. "I would like to be in the next town before dark," she said, pulling the passenger's door open and swinging down into the car. She waved to the Sheriff before turning towards Dean to take back the food as he climbed in. "I officially hate this town," she told him, making sure to keep her tone pleasant.

"You and me both, sweetheart," he agreed, jerking his door closed and jamming the keys into the ignition. "The bastards going to follow us out of town," he told her, starting the engine and pulling away from the curb.

Charlie glanced back to watch the Sheriff get into his car and turn on his lights. "Son of a bitch," she muttered, watching as he pulled out behind them. "So I believe that most of the town is in on it," she stated, turning back around to hand Dean his coffee.

He took it from her with a small smile. "You think?"

She nodded. "I think all the missing people have been Human sacrifices to a Pagan god of harvest."

Dean did a double take at her, his coffee half raised. "You're not serious."

She nodded again. "What Emily said about all the other towns going under but this one is fine?" she asked. "Not to mention that a large amount of the Pagan gods demand sacrifices of both male and female."

He pulled a face. "So that scarecrow is a Pagan god?"

Charlie shook her head. "Think of the scarecrow as the god's personal assistant," she explained. "It just takes the sacrifices and the god bestows good weather or healthy crops."

Dean let out a snort and took a sip of his coffee. "So they're killing all these people for what? Apples?"

She shrugged. "People have done more for less," she stated, glancing back at the Sheriff. "I kept talking to the couple after you and the jerkoff went outside. I'm pretty sure I put the fear of God into them about driving at night."

"Think they won't go?"

She let out a humorless laugh. "Hell no, but they'll be more cautious."

"Being cautious isn't going to save them," he stated.

"No shit," she deadpanned. "Which is why we're going back tonight, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, Charlie, we're going on to the next town. Of course we're coming back tonight!"

Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "You Winchesters never can take teasing," she stated, reaching over to shove his shoulder. "I know you wouldn't let two people die."

Dean shot her an unamused look and took another gulp from his coffee. "I can't believe he actually gave you the pie," he said, glancing down at the container on the seat between them.

"What can I say? People love me," she said, slumping down into the seat and setting the Styrofoam container on her lap to open it. "Shit," she cursed when she saw that there weren't any forks. "Do you have any forks stashed in here?" she asked, already looking around her.

Dean pointed to the glove box. "Try in there."

She popped it open and riffled through it, a triumphant yell leaving her when she found the white plastic utensil. She pushed the glove box closed and stabbed a piece of the pie off. "Oh my God," she groaned, slumping further down into the seat.

Dean looked over at her in surprise. "Seriously?"

She nodded quickly as she stabbed off a chunk from the other piece. "Here," she said, holding it out to him.

He raised an eyebrow at that. "You're feeding me?" he asked.

"Did you not just hear the orgasm I had over this?" she countered, moving the fork closer to him. "Plus you're driving."

He gave in and leaned forward the bite the piece of pie off the fork. "Oh my God," he groaned as he chewed. "This is the best pie I have ever tasted."

"I know, right?" she asked, forking off another piece for herself. "This is even better than mine."

"You bake?" he asked, gesturing for another bite.

She nodded. "I bake and Courtney cooks," she explained, taking another piece from the other slice and hold it up to him. "It's a good balance."

Dean took the bite and shook his head. "When the hell do you find time for that?"

"We don't live from motel to motel like your family," she told him. "We have a house up in Massachusetts. We try to make it up there at least once a month and take a few days to recharge our batteries."

"You have a house?" he asked. "In Massachusetts?"

She took another bite. "Well, it's actually Godfrey's house."

"Godfrey?"

"The family friend my Dad left Courtney and I with," she explained, feeding him another piece. "We've been living with him for 17 years."

"And he knows about Hunting and all that?" he asked, reaching out to take the fork from her only to have his hand slapped away.

"Of course he knows," she said, breaking off another bite from his slice and offering it to him. "Do you honestly think that he could be a friend of the Warren's and not know?"

Dean chewed thoughtfully. "Honestly, I don't know that much about your family."

"Sure you do," she denied. "Amityville, Annabelle, the Haunting in Connecticut."

"Seriously?" he asked. "That was your family?"

Charlie nodded. "Oh yeah, Courtney and I grew up with Annabelle just down the hall."

"Shit. What was that like?"

Charlie smiled to herself as she cut into the crust. "Let's just say that there was never a dull moment," she answered. "Do you want another bite?"

He gave a nod and held his mouth open.

She allowed a small smile and fed him another bite. "Don't get used to this," she muttered before looking back at the Sheriff as they passed the state line into Kentucky. "And he's gone," she said as he turned his lights off and flipped around to head back into town. "Where are we going to hide out?"

He shrugged. "We'll swing back around once it starts to get dark," he answered, gulping down some of his coffee. "Hope you like wandering aimlessly for a few hours."

"Ooooh, we can play car games."

* * *

**Hope y'all are enjoying the story! **

**Reviews=Love**


	5. Scarecrow Part 2

**The Founding Orchard**

**Burkittsville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

Charlie shook her head when Dean pulled the shotgun out of the trunk. "That's not going to hurt it," she told him.

He scoffed. "But it'll slow it down," he compromised, shoving extra shells into his pocket before slamming the trunk closed. "Come on," he said before jogging off into the orchard.

She rolled her eyes and followed after him, grumbling about the stubbornness of Winchester's.

They ran through the trees, the fog swirling up behind them as they went. They shot past the scarecrow's now empty stand and pushed themselves harder. They veered off into the next row and stopped short when they found themselves facing the couple from the café. Growls came from behind them and the scarecrow lumbered out of the dark towards them.

"Get back to your car!" Dean barked at them.

"Go! Go!" Charlie shouted.

The woman let out a small scream as the man pulled him past the two Hunters.

Dean raised his shotgun and fired off a round before running after the couple.

Charlie ran beside him, her eyes never leaving the scarecrow. "Dean, stop shooting and get them back to their car," she told him.

"What?!" he snapped at her, firing off another round.

"Give me the shotgun," she said, already reaching out to take it from him.

Surprisingly he let her take it. "I thought you said it wouldn't hurt it?" he demanded.

"It won't but I have a few tricks that might work," she told him, aiming for the things head and pulling the trigger, the buckshot not doing much damage. "Get them to the car!" she repeated.

Dean hesitated but did as she said when she gave him a certain look. "Go!" he shouted, turning forward and chasing after the couple.

Charlie spun around and held her hand out, her eyes glowing as she spoke.

**Et stabit de domine vestro, aliquis**

**Et stabit de demino vestro**

**Audite vocem meam**

The scarecrow stumbled to a halt as flames sprouted from its chest and engulfed it.

Charlie watched with a smile as she watched it drop to its knees. "If you only had a brain," she told it before taking back off the way the others had gone.

* * *

**The Roadside Away Motel**

**Evansville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

The night's events had been far from relaxing. The two Hunters dodged the couples question like an Olympic sport and managed to convince them to go to the next town with them, call a tow truck from there instead of waiting for one. They managed to find a motel with a vacancy, not even bothering to be bothered that there was only one room and one bed.

Charlie let out a sigh as she slipped the room key into the lock and opened the door. "I don't even care that I'm going to catch something," she said, shuffling into the room with her eyes locked on the bed, "I'm going to sleep all over that," she stated, letting her knees hit the mattress and pitch her face first into the comforter.

Dean chuckled as he watched her, closing the door behind him before dropping his bag onto the table. "I've slept on more of those beds than I care to admit and I haven't caught anything," he assured her.

"I watched this TV special about motel rooms like this," she started, rolling over onto her back, "they went through the whole room with a black light. It looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. I mean, there was ejaculate in places that shouldn't have been humanly possible."

Dean groaned and shook his head. "I could have gone my whole life without knowing that," he told her.

She laughed. "Like knowing that is going to stop you," she said.

He thought for a moment before giving a nod. "Very true," he agreed, taking the few steps that separated him and the bed. He dropped down onto the side and started working on his boots, a grunt leaving him with each one.

"Hey, Dean?"

He turned back to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Help a girl out?" she asked, knocking her boots together.

He watched her for a moment before letting out a sigh and moving to the end of the bed. He pulled Charlie's feet into his lap and pulled at her laces. "You wear Timberlands?" he asked.

She smiled. "They're good boots," she defended. "They're steel toed and waterproof."

Dean chuckled and pulled one off, setting it down onto the dingy carpet before going for the second one. "How much they run you?"

"They were a birthday present from Courtney," she answered. "Though they must have been around two hundred."

He let out an impressed whistle. "Damn," he grumbled. "I've never paid that much for anything."

She let out a snort. "I know about all those fake credit cards," she stated, pulling her socked foot back to jab him in the side.

Dean arched away from him and brought his elbow down to block her.

She instantly sat up. "You're ticklish?" she demanded.

He glanced back at her. "What? No," he denied, pulling her other boot off.

"I think you are," she stated, unable to help the smile that spread across her face.

He twisted around to glare at her. "You even make a move and your ass is sleeping on the floor," he threatened.

She held her hands up in defense. "You're safe for tonight," she promised.

His glare didn't soften as he crawled up the bed. "Damn right I'm safe," he grumbled out, collapsing down onto the pillows. "I could sleep for a week."

"I'm right there with you," she agreed, stretching out against the mattress. "One of us is going to have to turn off the light."

He grunted. "I took your shoes off."

She frowned at the fact that he was right and pushed herself up from the bed. She shuffled over to the door and flicked the light off. She took a moment to appreciate the scene of Dean Winchester drenched in moonlight before moving the close the curtains. "Are we setting an alarm or just winding it?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

"Dean?"

She walked over to the bed and peered over at Dean to find him sound asleep. "Well that's impressive," she muttered, climbing back up the bed to settle against the pillows. She rolled over onto her side facing him, her eyes adjusting to the darkness as she watched him breathe. She was honestly a little surprised that he allowed himself to sleep around her. John had never so much as napped around the sisters little lone full unconsciousness. Sleeping meant trust and that was pretty hard to come by in the Hunting community. She would have to ask Courtney her opinion in the morning.

* * *

**March 15th, 2006**

**The Roadside Away Motel**

**Evansville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

Charlie woke the next morning with Dean's arm around her waist and his leg tangled with hers. She blinked against the sudden light as she stared up at the ceiling. She could feel Dean's breath against her neck from his head on her shoulder. She raised her head and looked down at their entwined legs, a little amused at the fact that it was his leg that was hitched across hers. She smiled before closing her eyes and picturing herself standing by the side of the bed. A gentle breeze washed over her and when she opened her eyes she found herself there looking down on Dean.

The man in question shifted against the bed, adjusting from the sudden lack of Charlie.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, a smirk pulling at her lips as she took a photo of the sleeping hunter. She attached it to a text and sent it to her sister, a small chuckle leaving her when she thought of her sister's response. It was half passed five and there was a diner just up the block, perfect for an early breakfast. She slipped on her boots and grabbed her bag off the floor before slipping out the motel door.

* * *

**The Mustang**

**Galesburn, Illinois**

**Courtney Warren**

Courtney startled awake when her phone let out a tune of shrill beeps. She groaned as she raised her seat back up and grabbed the offending object off the dash. "This better be good," she muttered flipping it open and opening the picture Charlie had sent her. She stared down at the phone before letting out a peel of uncontrollable laughter, her free hand hitting the steering wheel. "Oh my God," she gasped, hitting her first speed dial and pressing the phone to her ear.

_"Good morning, sister dear," _Charlie answered on the second ring.

"Good morning indeed," she greeted back. "Do I want to know what you did to that poor boy to get that photo?"

Charlie snorted. _"Please, he did that to himself," _she told her. _"Get this, he actually slept in the same room as me." _

Courtney's eyebrows shot up at that. "Seriously?" she asked. "I didn't take him as a very trusting person."

_"Me neither but he seems to trust me just fine," _Charlie mused. _"Don't ask me why though." _

"You must have one of those faces," Courtney teased, far too amused by it. "So what have you found out since I left you?"

_"We were right about it being a Pagan god," _she told her with a sigh. _"The missing people have been Human sacrifices for a harvest god of some sort. Dean and I were heading over to the other town when his EMF went off by the apple orchards. We wandered through and found this seriously fucked up scarecrow." _

Courtney grimaced at that. "How fucked up?" she asked.

_"Think Jeepers Creepers with stiches." _

"What the fuck is wrong with these Pagan gods?" she demanded, shaking her head as she leaned back in the driver's seat.

Charlie let out a humorless laugh. _"Hell if I know," _she answered. _"But we go back into town and stop at the local café where we found this couple that was laid up with a leaking brake line that wouldn't be fixed till sun down." _

"Shady~!" Courtney sing songed.

_"Exactly!" _Charlie exclaimed. _"I'm convinced that a good portion of the town is in on it." _

"That's pretty rare," she mused. "Are you sure?"

_"Seeing as we were escorted out of town by the Sheriff when we tried to convince the couple to stay the night," _she explained.

"Is the couple okay?"

_"Yeah, we swung back around and got here just in town to get the couple out of the orchard." _

"The scarecrow, right?" she asked. "It's the conduit?"

Charlie chuckled. _"Oh yeah, the damn thing was up and running with a vengeance," _she told her. _"You know that scene in the Wizard of Oz where the witch threatens to set the scarecrow on fire?" _

Courtney couldn't help but beam at that. "Please tell me you did."

_"You bet your ass I did," _Charlie answered. _"It lit up like a month old Christmas tree." _

She laughed again. "I would have paid to see that," she said.

_"It was quiet spectacular," _Charlie agreed. _"Too bad it isn't going to stay gone." _

Courtney let out a snort. "It'll be escorting Dorothy down the yellow brick road of hell before we know it," she said. "The town will have to find another sacrifice though," she added. "Did you see another couple there?"

_"Shit, no," _Charlie answered. _"Dammit, I forgot about that. Can't people just not walk through the creepy orchard when their car breaks down? Why can't they just walk back along the road?" _

"Fear does weird things to people. There's an entire movie genre based off of it."

_She groaned. "This is bullshit." _

Courtney couldn't help but laugh. "No more bullshit than me stalking Jolly Green."

_"How is that going by the way?" _

She sighed and looked over to the map still sitting in the passenger's seat. "I tracked him to Galesburg," she answered.

_"Wow, he got pretty far. Dean left him around Bloomington." _

"Well he does have awfully long legs," she mused with a chuckle. "Freakishly long legs. They go against his genetics. I mean, John and Dean are pushing it at 6'1 and Mary was about 5'6."

_"Well, Dad's 5'10, Mom was 5'8 and I'm 5'9," _Charlie reminded her with a laugh. _"Your 5'3 goes against our genetics so it's not all that strange." _

Courtney glared out the windshield. "Haha, you're so funny," she deadpanned before ending the call.

* * *

**The Roadside Away Motel**

**Evansville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

Charlie wasn't all that surprised to find Dean still asleep when she got back. She set the bag of take-out onto the table next to his bag and grabbed the black coffee from the carrier. She popped the lid off and walked over to the bed, holding the coffee just in front of his face.

Dean's brow furrowed as he pulled in a deep breath.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey~" she sing songed, moving the cup back and forth.

He shifted against the mattress and cracked open his eyes.

Charlie beamed down at him. "Morning, sleeping beauty," she greeted. "I got breakfast."

Dean rolled over onto his back and watched her for a moment before reaching up and taking the offered coffee. "What time is it?" he groaned out.

"Just after six."

He groaned again and pushed himself up. "What'd you get for breakfast?" he asked, taking a gulp of coffee.

"Breakfast sandwiches. Egg, cheese, sausage, bacon and sourdough bread with syrup baked in. Plus waffle fries."

Dean moaned and pulled himself from the bed. "And here I thought that you would be health freak," he admitted, dropping down into one of the chairs.

She let out a snort and started pulled the food out of the bags. "What the hell gave you that idea?"

He made a point of looking her over. "Have you looked in a mirror lately, sweetheart?" he asked. "A body like that doesn't come from dinner food."

"I work out regularly, I eat relatively healthy and I don't smoke," she listed off, stealing a waffle fry and popping it in her mouth. "I cheat sometimes when I deserve it."

"And you deserved it?"

"Hell yeah, I set a scarecrow on fire last night, I deserve a parade."

Dean barked out a laugh. "Yeah, good luck with that," he said, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a rather large bite. "Oh my God, that's amazing," he moaned out.

Charlie smiled at that and took the seat across from him. "I knew it had to be good when it was standing room only," she mused, taking a bite of her own sandwich. "So what's the plan for today? We have to find a way to stop the god before the town finds another couple."

Dean nodded as she chewed happily. "I think we should find out which god it is."

Charlie snorted at that. "Oh that's going to be fun," she said. "Do you know how many Pagan gods there are?"

He paused at that and shook his head. "No."

"There's a god for anything you could think of," she told him. "If you made a list it would look like a phonebook."

He frowned at that. "Seriously?"

She nodded.

Dean sighed and slumped further into his seat. "Great."

Charlie smirked slightly and popped another fry in her mouth. "The state college is about two hours away though. We can get an appointment with one of the professors."

"You think we can't find it on our own?" he asked around a mouthful of food.

She shook her head. "Not as quickly as we need to," she answered. "Pagan gods aren't known for being patient when it comes to their Human sacrifices. We've got a couple of days before they find another couple."

He let out groan and took another bite. "Great."

She couldn't help but smile.

* * *

**Two Hours Later**

**The Impala**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

_"The scarecrow climbed off it's cross?" _Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm telling ya, Burkittsville Indiana, fun town," Dean answered sarcastically.

_"It didn't kill the couple, did it?" _

Dean rolled his eyes. "No. I can cope without you, you know," he stated, shooting a glance over to Charlie with a smirk.

She sent him a wink.

_"So something must be animating it," _Sam reasoned. _"Like a spirit."_

Dean shook his head. "It's more than a spirit. It's a god. A Pagan god anyway."

_"What makes you say that?" _

"The annual cycle of its killings. And the fact that the victims are always a man and a women. Like some sort of fertility rite," he explained. "And you should see the locals. The way they treated the couple. Fattening them up like a Christmas turkey."

_"The last meal," _Sam added. _"Kind of like sacrificial victims." _

"Yeah, I'm thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god."

_"So the god possess the scarecrow-" _

"The god takes its sacrifice," Dean finished, "and for another year the crops wont fail and disease won't spread."

_"You know which god you're dealing with?" _

Dean let out a humorless laugh. "Do you know how many Pagan gods there are?"

_"Well, if you can find out which one it is then you can find a way to kill it." _

"Yeah, I know. We're actually on our way to the local college. Got an appointment with a professor."

Sam was quiet for a moment. _"We?" _

Dean instantly looked over to Charlie as she smirked at him. "What?"

_"You said we." _

Charlie grabbed Dean's arm and pulled it towards her. "Tell me, Sam, has your brother always taken so long to style his hair?" she asked.

Dean glared at her and jerked his arm away from her. "Sam?" he asked only to hear his brother laughter on the other end.

_"You called Charlie?" _he asked.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, you know since I don't have my psychic geek boy to do all the research."

"_And you called Charlie?" _

"Shut up."

He continued to laugh. _"You know, if you're hinting about needing my help you could have just told me." _

Dean shook his head despite Sam not being able to see it. "I'm not hinting at anything," he argued before looking over to Charlie. "Actually….uh...I want you to know-" he cut off to clear his throat. "I mean don't think…." He struggled.

"_Yeah. I'm sorry too." _

Charlie resisted the urge to smile like an idiot.

Dean made a point of ignoring her. "Sam, you were right. You gotta do your own thing. You know, live your own life."

"_You serious?" _

"You always know what you want and you go after it. You stand up to Dad and you always have. Hell, I wish I-" he cut off, shaking his head. "Anyway, I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy."

Sam was quiet for a moment. _"I don't even know what to say" _

"Say you'll take care of yourself."

"_I will." _

Dean smiled at that. "Call me when you find Dad."

"_Okay, I will. Bye Dean." _

Dean's jaw clenched as he closed his phone. "You say anything and I'm kicking you out of the car," he threatened.

Charlie gave him a wide smile and slumped over to lean against his shoulder. "Does this mean I'm calling off my sister?" she asked as she looked up at him.

He gave her an odd look but didn't push her off. "Well, unless she wants to follow him to California."

"She would," Charlie mused, reaching into her pocket to grab her phone. She pressed the first speed dial and held it to her ear.

"_Two calls in one day, someone misses me," _Courtney answered.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said. "I just wanted to let you know that Sam has the green light to find John."

"_Seriously?" _she asked with a sigh. _"What changed?" _

"A heartwarming conversation that I'll tell you about later," she answered.

Dean jerked his shoulder up and shot her a glare. "No you won't."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "As I was saying," she continued, "Sam's going to California so what you do next is up to you."

Courtney let out a dramatic gasp. _"You mean I'm in control of my fate?!" _she exclaimed. _"Holy shit!" _

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Let me know whatever it is you decide to do, alright?"

"_Aye, aye, Sister Christian," _she said before hanging up.

Charlie let out a little laugh. "That would have been funnier if we were actually Christian," she mused, closing her phone and shoving it back in her pocket.

Dean looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're religious?" he asked.

"Warren's are raised Catholic," she answered, reaching under her shirt collar to pull out her rosary. "Courtney and I haven't actually gone to mass since our Mom died so we're non-practicing."

Dean pulled a face. "Huh," he said. "I wouldn't have guessed that."

"What would you have guessed?"

He shrugged the best he could. "You kinda seem like the type who would laugh in God's face, honestly," he answered.

Charlie beamed at that. "You're right, I would," she agreed, "but that's more of a personal thing between him and me than it is a religious thing," she explained. "Courtney's threatened to slap him with a cross on several occasions."

A startled laugh left him at that. "I'm pretty sure that's blasphemy."

"Oh fuck yeah," she agreed. "It's a miracle we haven't been excommunicated."

* * *

**University of Southern Indiana**

**Evansville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

"It's not every day that I get a research questions about Pagan Ideology," Professor Kendrick said as we followed him down the stairs.

Dean laughed it off. "Yeah, it's a hobby of ours," he explained.

"But you said you were interested in local lore?" he asked, looking back at us.

Charlie nodded quickly. "Yeah, every state we pass through we find out the local lore," she told him.

"Well I'm afraid that Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worshiping," he said.

Dean tilted his head to the side. "Well what if it was imported? You know, like the pilgrims brought their religion over. Wasn't a lot of this area settled by immigrants?"

The Professor nodded.

Charlie snapped her fingers and pointed to the Professor. "We passed through Burkittsville yesterday. Where were their ancestors from?"

"Northern Europe, I believe. Scandinavia," he answered.

"What can you tell us about those Pagan gods?" Dean pressed, attempting to sound conversational and doing terribly.

He laughed lightly. "Well, there are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses," he stated.

"Well, we heard about this one in particular," Charlie told him. "It lives in an orchard?"

The Professor looked over to her with what looked like alarm before giving her a soft smile. "I think I know exactly what you're looking for. Follow me," he said before bustling off down the hall.

Charlie and Dean looked over at each other before hurrying after him, far too amused by the whole thing.

The Professor let us into his office and hurried over to a shelf of leather bound books, pulling one down and opening it on his desk.

"Here we go," he said, slipping on his glasses and flipping through the pages.

Charlie grimaced when he flipped to a page depicting a person hanging upside down on an X, their throat slit open and their blood spilling into the soil.

Professor Kendrick flipped to the next page to show a picture of a scarecrow.

"Wait," Dean said, reaching forward to point at the picture. "What's that one?"

He sighed. "Well, that's not a woods god per say," he answered.

Charlie shot him a look before leaning forward to read it. "'The Venir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements from harm. The villagers built effigies of honor in their fields where the villagers practiced Human sacrifice. One male and one female'," she read before letting out a frustrated sigh. "That's weird, isn't it? You would think that a male and a female sacrifice would be a fertility ritual, right?" she asked, looking up to the Professor.

"I mean, that looks like a scarecrow, right?" Dean asked, pointing to the picture.

The Professor laughed lightly. "I suppose," he allowed.

He leaned over the book and continued from where Charlie had left off. "'This particular Vanir gets its power from a particular tree'."

"Well Pagans believed all sorts of things were infused with magic," the Professor explained.

"But it's a tree, anything could happen to it," Charlie noted.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, what would happen if someone torched it?" he asked. "Do you think it would kill the god?"

The Professor watched him for a moment before letting out a laugh. "Son, these are just legends we're discussing."

Charlie let out a snort and wrapped her arm around his waist, shaking him lightly. "You should see him on ghost tours," she told him. "He gets the poor kid running it all flustered."

Dean let out a nervous laugh and gave a small nod. "Yeah, well, you know," he brushed off before holding his hand out to him. "Listen, thank you very much."

He hesitated slightly before taking his hand. "Glad I could help."

"Thank you," Charlie repeated, giving him a small wave as they moved for the door.

Dean reached out and pulled the door open only to jerked back when the butt of the Sheriff's rifle met his face.

"Oh my God!" Charlie yelped jumping back to let the Winchester fall to the floor. "What the hell are you doing?" she yelled, making her voice as frantic as she could.

The Sheriff level his rifle with her and stepped into the room. "I'm sorry to have to do this."

She shook her head frantically, managing to get her eyes to tear up. "Please, we didn't do anything," she begged. "We didn't do anything."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he repeated before swinging the rifle around to hit her in the temple.

Now, in normal situations in normal hunts something like this wouldn't have taken her down but they were Humans. Ever since Courtney and her found out what they were Zadkiel can drilled into their heads that they were not allowed to use their heavenly gifts against Humans, giving a big speech about it being unfair and unjust. Courtney had never had an issue with it, always finding a way to talk herself out of something. Charlie on the other hand always argued, pointing out that some Humans deserved a little heavenly gift where the sun doesn't shine but Zadkiel was adamant, going as far as to brand her with a seal prohibiting her from using said heavenly gifts on any Human. It was situations like this that Charlie really hated the angel.

* * *

**An Unknown Cellar**

**Burkittsville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

This was the fifth time Charlie had been held in a cellar. The last time it had been Ghouls and the time before that was a witch coven. She wasn't sure why but there was always a cellar.

A grunt from a few feet away sounded Dean Winchesters awakening, the man shifting against the ground with a groan.

"Charlie?" he asked, his voice groggy.

"Yes, honey?" she asked, pushing herself up to look over at him.

He looked around him. "Where the hell are we?" he demanded.

"Burkittsville in some fucker's cellar," she told him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He cleared his throat. "The butt of the Sheriff's rifle," he answered, rolling onto his back and reaching up to touch his nose. "Shit," he hissed.

"Let me see," she said, crawling to her knees and walking over to him. She pressed her hand to his forehead to keep him still as her other hand prodded at his nose. "It's not broken," she assured him. "You might get a black eye though."

"Chicks dig black eyes," he told her before his eyes caught the dried blood on her temple. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, reaching up to brush his fingers against it.

She refrained from telling him that it was already healed. "I've had worse," she said, running her fingers through his disheveled hair. "So it looks like we played the couple thing a little too well."

"Yeah, it looks like it," he said, pushing himself up with a groan. "What's the situation?"

She sighed and looked back up at the cellar door. "The Sheriff hasn't moved since they brought us here and someone checks in with him every half an hour."

"So what you're saying is that we're not getting out of here."

"Pretty much."

"Well that's fan-fucking-tastic."

* * *

**Burlington Trailways Bus Station**

**Galesburg, Illinois **

**Courtney Warren + Sam Winchester**

Courtney pulled into the parking lot of the bus station, a little relived that Sam hadn't left the building since he got there. She was about to head in when she caught sight of the tallest Winchester weaving through the parking lot, pulling on every other car handle. She would be lying if she said she wasn't amused as she laid into the horn.

The moose of a man jumped and spun around, his eyes wide as he scanned for the source of the sound.

She rolled down the window and leaned her head out. "Need a ride?!" she called over.

Recognition swept over his face as he started towards her. "Courtney?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "Fancy meeting you here," she said before leaning over to pop open the passenger's door as an invitation.

Sam walked around the car and climbed in, looking far too comical as his knees pressed into his chest.

She grimaced. "Sorry, that's where I usually sit," she told him. "The lever's in the front."

He gave a nod of thanks and reached down, the seat rolling back to give him enough room to be moderately comfortable. "So, uh, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Courtney shrugged and gave him a big smile. "Well, I was hunting Big Foot but I found him," she answered.

He let out a small laugh. "Really, what are you doing here?"

"Well, originally I was supposed to talk you out of going to California but now it looks like I'm giving you a ride there," she told him. "Do you think John would go to Disneyland? I've never been but it's been a lifelong dream of mine to punch out Donald Duck. I don't know why but I've always wanted to."

Sam watched her for a moment before letting out another laugh. "You're going to drive me to California?"

She nodded. "Sure. Unless you had your heart set on stealing a car?" she asked, pointing back to the cars.

He paused for a moment before clearing his throat. "Hey, uh, have you heard from either of them?" he asked. "Charlie or Dean? I've been trying to call Dean for the past three hours but he's not picking up."

Confusion swept over her face. "Charlie called me after you talked to Dean but…" she trailed off, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone. She chose Charlie's number and held it to her ear.

The two waited in hopeful tension as the phone rang.

_"You've reached the voicemail of Charlie Warren, leave a brief message of your trouble and I'll get back to you within 24 hours." _

Courtney cursed when the beep sounded. "Charlie, I'm with Sam and he hasn't been able to get ahold of Dean. Call me when you get this," she said before hanging up. "Okay, I'm worried now."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Listen, I know you want to go to California but-"

"But big brother and big sister might be on the wrong end of a Pagan ritual?" she finished.

"Yeah."

"Burkittsville, here we come," she said, throwing the Camaro into Drive and tearing out of the parking lot.

* * *

**An Unknown Cellar**

**Burkittsville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

Another frustrated sigh left Charlie as Dean once again rammed his shoulder into the cellar door. "Would you stop already?" she asked. "It's not going to get us anywhere."

He stopped and looked back at her. "I'm sorry but I can't just sit on my ass and wait to die."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not waiting to die, Dean," she told him. "Stop being so dramatic."

"Well I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?"

"Wait till they leave us alone in the orchard," she answered as if that explained everything.

He frowned as he thought and grumbled under his breath when he realized she was right.

She almost smiled at that. "Come here," she said, gesturing him down.

He sighed and walked down the cellar stairs. "What?"

"Come here," she repeated.

He took the few steps that separated them.

Charlie tilted her head to the side as she reached up to grab the lapels of his jacket and pull him down.

Dean reacted almost instantly when her lips pressed against his. His eyes slipped closed and his hands went to her waist as he leaned into her. He would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised but he would also be lying if he said he'd never thought about it. He had been surprised when Missouri didn't hit him over the things he thought about Charlie when they first met.

Charlie allowed a small smile as she pulled away from him, rolling back onto her heels.

"What was that for?" he asked as he opened his eyes.

She shrugged. "I'm not going to die without having done that at least once," she told him.

He let out a laugh and went to comment when the cellar doors were pulled open.

They looked over and weren't too surprised when the group of elderly townspeople pointed guns at them.

"It's time," one of the women told them.

"Joy," Charlie whispered.

* * *

**The Founding Orchard**

**Burkittsville, Indiana**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

"How many people have you killed, Sheriff?" Dean asked as they tied him to one of the apple trees. "How much blood is on your hands?"

The Sheriff looked awfully uncomfortable. "We don't kill them."

Dean shook his head. "No, but you sure cover up after. I mean, how many cars have you hidden, clothes have you buried?"

His jaw clenched and he stepped away from the tree to grab his rifle.

Charlie looked over and watched as the woman tied her, taking note of how her hands shook. "Is this the first time you've had to do this?" she asked.

The woman looked to her in alarm but didn't answer.

"You know," Charlie continued, "you've actually been pretty lucky. Most Pagan gods won't kill their tributes themselves. There was this one down in Texas where the worshiper had to carve the sacrifices heart out before the god would even consider it worthy. You must have been worshiping this god for an awfully long time for it to do you this kindness."

"You don't know what you're talking about," the man tying her other hand stated.

Charlie looked over to him. "I do actually," she argued. "Dean and I, we hunt things like your god. We have our whole lives, but I have to admit, this is the first time either of us have seen something like this. It's usually just a few people, not the general population of the entire town."

"It's our responsibility," the woman spoke up. "If we don't the town dies."

"The good of the many, outweighs the good of the one," the man recited.

Charlie pulled a face. "You stole that from Star Trek, didn't you?" she demanded.

The man's frown deepened before he walked away from the tree, heading off back towards the road

The rest of the townspeople followed after him, all glancing back towards the scarecrow as they went.

"Hope you apple pie is fucking worth it!" Dean yelled after them, struggling against the tree.

"It totally is though," Charlie stated.

Dean frowned and glared over at her.

"What?" she asked innocently. "You ate it, you know it is."

He rolled his eyes and dropped his head back to the tree. "You're not helping, sweetheart."

"I'm not saying that I'm willing to die for the pie but it is 'to die for'," she stated.

Dean would have laughed any other time. "So you got any ideas on how to get out of this?"

Charlie thought for a moment. "None that come to mind. You?"

"I'm thinking," he answered, unwilling to admit how royally fucked they were.

* * *

***45 minutes later* **

The orchard was now darken than either Hunter was comfortable with and they were still hopelessly tied to the apple trees. They had attempted to pull themselves free to the only accomplishment of raw wrists and diminished hope.

"Can you see it?" Dean asked, attempting to twist far enough to do just that.

Charlie glanced over at him before gathering her legs under her and pushed up, arching her back and stepping as far as she could around the tree till her shoulder threatened to dislocate. She dropped back down in a crouch and craned her next as far as she could. "Goddammit," she growled. "I can't see shit."

"Well, it was at least impressive," Dean told her, shifting himself as far as he could to try and look.

Charlie sighed and thumped her head back against the tree as she closed her eyes, attempting for the fifteenth time to sense where it might be, cursing herself for not having touched the scarecrow when she had the chance. She was about to accept the fact that she was going to have to out herself in order to get them free when a familiar presence entered her range. "Courtney," she breathed, her eyes snapping open.

"What?" Dean asked, looking over to her with a frown.

She flashed him a wide smile before turning her head back. "Courtney, over here!" she called.

"Charlie?"

"Dean?"

Dean's face brightened when his brother's voice followed Courtney's.

A moment later the younger siblings of the pair stepped between the trees to find them

"Oh, I take back everything I said," Dean stated, sighing in relief. "I'm so happy to see you."

Charlie beamed up at her sister as she started working on her restraints. "Awesome road trip, right?" she asked.

Courtney chuckled and shook her head. "I almost had Sam talked into going to Disneyland before he told me he couldn't get ahold of Dean," she complained.

"We'll go to Disneyland after this, okay?" Charlie bargained. "I'll even hold Daisy back so you hit Donald."

"Deal."

"Did you see the scarecrow? Pretty fucked up, huh?"

"You gotta watch it. It could come to life any minute," Dead added, pulling against the loosened ropes.

"I didn't see a scarecrow," Courtney stated with wide eyes.

"Neither did I," Sam agreed.

"What?!" both Charlie and Dean exclaimed, jumping to their feet and looked to the stake the scarecrow had been on the last time they saw it.

Charlie reached out and grabbed hold of her sister. "Fuuuuck," she dragged out, shaking her lightly. "Please tell me you brought weapons?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"We gotta find that tree," Dean said, looking pointedly to Charlie.

She nodded and started to back up. "Let's multitask and run while we thing," she told them before taking off towards the road.

"What tree are we talking about?" Courtney asked.

"It's the source of the god's power," Dean explained. "If we torch it it'll kill the god."

"So let's do that," Sam stated.

Both Charlie and Dean shook their heads.

"We'll find it in the morning," Charlie stated.

"Let's just shag ass before leather face catches up," Dean added.

They made it another few feet before a shotgun was cocked and a flashlight was pointed at them. They huddled to a stop and looked around them, a little surprised by the fact that they were surrounded by gun toting townspeople.

Charlie grabbed her sister and pulled her behind her, looking to the couple that had tied her to the tree. "Are you sure it's safe you all to be here?" she asked. "Pagan gods don't discriminate when it comes to sacrifices."

"It'll be over quickly, I promise," the man said.

She shook her head. "I'm serious, it will take any one of us," she told them.

He went to retort but was stopped by the scythe erupting through is chest.

His wife screamed as the scarecrow appeared behind them, pulling the scythe out before wrapping it's arm around her neck.

The others, seeing where the situation was going, scattered through the woods, leaving their fellow worshipers to their fate.

The scarecrow ignored the woman's screams and leaned down to hook it's scythe through the man's ankle and began dragging them further into the orchard.

"Come on," Dean said before continuing for the road, the other Hunters close behind him.

They came to another stop on the side of the road, all four of them scanning the trees for any sign of movement as the woman's screams grew fainter and fainter.

"Well," Charlie breathed, breaking the tension filled silence, "I hate to say 'I told you so' but I told you so," she said. "Why don't they ever listen to me? How many evil doers have died because they don't listen to me?"

Courtney let out a laugh. "You're acting like evil doers dying is a bad thing," she mused. "That's usually our end game."

Charlie gave a considerate nod before looking over to Dean. "The apple pie was worth it though."

He scoffed and pushed her further away from him.

She pointed at him. "You can't deny it," she stated. "I'm going to get several from Scotty tomorrow before shit hits the fan big time."

"You're not serious," Courtney said, looking at her sister like she had three heads.

"Court, this pie was better than any I have ever made," she told her. "Plus, a lot of people died to make that pie, it shouldn't have been in vain."

Sam looked between his brother and Charlie as his smile widened. "You called her for help?" he asked as if he still couldn't believe it.

Dean shot him a look. "Shut up, Sammy. I owed her a drink."

"Owe," Charlie corrected. "You still owe me a drink, and after almost being sacrificed to a Pagan god I think you owe me a few shots too."

An amused smile spread across his face. "Will you settle for a bottle of jack and a few beers, sweetheart?"

Charlie considered it for a moment and gave a nod. "Honey, that'll do just fine."

The younger of the siblings exchanged a look of equal confusion and concern.

* * *

**April 16th, 2006**

**The Roadside Away Motel**

**Evansville, Indiana**

**The Warrens + The Winchesters**

"Sam, you are a god," Charlie said as way of greeting when she opened the motel door to reveal the tallest Winchester holding several bags and a holder full of coffee.

He let out a startled laugh. "Uh, thanks," he said, walking in and heading to the table to the corner. "Has Dean made his way over yet?"

Charlie shook her head as she took the coffee Sam offered her. "Not yet," she answered. "Though he sleeps like the dead."

Confusion pulled at Sam's face. "Uh, no he doesn't," he stated. "Whenever I come back with breakfast he pulls a gun on me because the door opening woke him up."

She took a gulp of coffee. "Huh, cause when I went and got breakfast yesterday I had to hold coffee in front of his face just to get him conscious."

Sam's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Seriously?"

She nodded.

"Huh."

A question filled silence filled the motel room before Courtney emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her.

"I think I just used all of the motels hot water," she stated, sounding awfully prideful about it. "Morning, Jolly Green," she greeted.

"Morning, Pipsqueak," he greeted back with a smile, holding out her own cup of coffee.

She beamed at their little joke and took a happy sip of her coffee. "Where's Johnny Bravo?"

Sam let out a snort. "Still asleep," he answered.

"I'll get him up," Charlie volunteered, walking over to the nightstand to grab her phone. She selected Dean's contact and listened to it ring.

_"Hello?" _

"Morning, honey," she greeted.

Dean let out a groan. _"Mornin', sweetheart," _he greeted back. _"What time is it?" _

"Just after seven," she told him. "You're brother just brought over breakfast if you're interested."

_"Where'd he go?" _

Charlie looked over to the bags and smiled when she saw the logo from Rosie's Diner. "Where do you think?"

He let out a moan. _"Give me a few minutes," _he told her before hanging up.

Charlie tossed her phone back onto the nightstand. "He's on his way," she stated, walking back over to the table to peek in the bags, another wave of giddiness sweeping through her when she saw the waffle fries and breakfast sandwiches. "You're my favorite now."

Sam let out a laugh. "It's that easy?"

"Charlie's awfully loyal to anyone who feeds her," Courtney told him. "She's kind of like a cat in that respect."

Charlie swatted her sister's shoulder but didn't deny it, reluctantly knowing that she was right.

Sam cleared his throat. "So what's this tree?"

"The original settlers of Burkittsville brought a tree with them from Scandinavia. It tethers the god to the orchard. If we destroy the tree then there's nothing to keep the god here, even the scarecrow will disappear," Charlie explained, pulling a pouch of fries out and popping one into her mouth. "All we have to do is just find the damn thing."

"And how do we do that?" Sam pressed.

Charlie shoved another fry in her mouth and looked to her sister.

"We could do a locator spell but they're not always reliable," Courtney supplied. "We have an Adder Stone but then we'd have to walk through the whole orchard."

"What about frankincense?" Charlie suggested.

Courtney pulled a face. "Would a tree give off malevolent energy?" she asked.

Charlie opened her mouth to answer but found that she couldn't. "Samwise?" she asked, looking up to Sam. "Would a tree give off malevolent energy?"

The gentle giant smiled. "Samwise?"

She nodded. "Yep, unless you want another nickname?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, no, it's fine," he assured her. "Uh, yeah, I don't see why it wouldn't," he answered. "I mean, if a Pagan god has been using it for as long as it has there's bound to be a side effect."

"Okay, fine, but do you really want to walk through the entire orchard?" Courtney asked, already sounding tired.

"Well, we could always kidnap one of the townspeople and force them to tell us. Though I'm pretty sure most of them have skipped town after watching two of their friends become god chow," Charlie stated, taking a dramatic bite out of a fry for emphasis.

"That was wonderful imagery, Charlie, thank you," Courtney deadpanned, sipping at her coffee.

Charlie smiled and reached into the bag to pull out one of the sandwiches. "You have to wonder if the god makes a new scarecrow after each sacrifice," she mused. "I mean, it had the last guys tattoo in the same spot and it had the woman's hair so you-"

"Okay, that's enough," Courtney cut in, throwing a fry at her. "Not while we're eating."

Charlie stuck her tongue out at her. "You're just saying that because Sam's here," she stated before looking to the man. "The other day we were talking about the medical properties of Shape Shifted skin over dinner," she told him.

His eyebrows furrowed. "The medical properties of Shape Shifter skin?" he asked.

She nodded quickly. "Oh yeah, the cells are hyperactive because of the radical change they have to go through to shape shift. I mean, the molecular structure is similar to that of water, able to conform to whatever shape it's forced into and holding it when it's frozen and then being able to revert back to its original state. If we can find a way to make it topical it has the potential to act as a genetic band aid."

Sam watched her with a bewildered expression.

Courtney let out a small laugh. "Yeah, that's pretty much how I looked when she told me."

"Could you actually do it?" he asked, getting over his shock.

Charlie shrugged. "It's just theoretical at the moment but with enough time I'm sure I could figure it out."

"Huh."

"She doesn't look like a nerd, does she?" Courtney asked.

Sam shook his head before catching himself. "Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing," he told her. "It's just surprising."

Charlie let out a snort. "And that's coming from the man whose brother made an EMF reader out of a Walkman."

"Wow," Courtney said, looking to Sam. "Dean made an EMF reader out of a Walkman?"

He looked between the two. "Uh, yeah?"

"That's impressive. How long did it take him?"

Sam shrugged. "You'll have to ask Dean."

"Ask me what?" the man in question asked as he stepped into the room, his hair still wet from his five minute shower.

"How long it took you to make your EMF reader," Charlie supplied, giving him a wide smile as she grabbed his coffee and held it out to him.

He closed the door and walked over to her. "Couple hours," he answered, grabbing the coffee cup and taking a much needed gulp. "Wasn't that hard."

Courtney shook her head as she looked at the older siblings. "Grease monkeys and nerds, you two were destined for each other."

Charlie flipped her off before scooting over in her chair to give Dean half.

The Winchester took the offer and pulled another sandwich from the bag along with his fries. "So what are we going to do about this tree?" he asked.

"The easiest way is going to be scrying," Courtney answered.

"That'll only give us a general location though," Charlie argued.

She shrugged. "Then we'll take the frankincense with us."

Charlie thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "That'll work."

"What the hell are they talking about?" Dean asked, looking to his brother in question.

He shook his head. "Don't ask."

Dean shrugged and took a bite out of his sandwich.

"I scried last time so it's your turn," Courtney said, looking pointed to Charlie.

She sighed but didn't argue. "Where's the map?"

"My bag."

Charlie reluctantly got up from her half of the chair and over to her sister's bag where she rummaged through it. "Why do you have a crucifixion in your bag?" she asked, holding up the bronze religious relic.

"Because the power of Christ compels you," Courtney deadpanned, not even bothering to look over.

"Smart ass," Charlie grumbled, tossing it back before pulling out a folded map. "We really need to get a new one of these," she mused, running her finger across the tattered edge.

"I'll tell Godfrey," Courtney told her.

"We need a new Ouija board too," she added, walking back to the table and retaking her half of the chair.

Courtney frowned and glared at her sister. "What happened to our old one?" she demanded.

"Remember that haunting in Portland I took care of last month?"

She nodded.

"Well, it set the board on fire when I asked it to leave."

"Dammit, Charlie, you know they hate being asked that!" she snapped, throwing another fry at her.

Charlie caught it midair and winked at her sister before opening the map to the Indiana section. She reached down and pulled her knife from her boot and flicking it open with a roll of her wrist. She ran the sharpened edge across the pad of her index finger and watched as her blood beaded and dripped onto the map.

**In nomine antiquis**

**Quaerenti de Vanir**

**Dec nod ad sacra lignum**

The brothers watched with fascination as the blood darkened and moved across the surface of the map. It stopped at the far end of the orchard and dried, marking the general area of where they would have to look.

"How accurate is that?" Sam asked, leaned across the table to get a closer look.

"I found you, didn't I?" Courtney countered.

He looked back to her. "You used this to find me?"

She nodded. "How else did you think I found you?"

"GPS?"

She scoffed. "This is so much easier," she said, waving over to the map. "We'll get the section and then we'll light up the frankincense."

"What the hell is frankincense?" Dean demanded around a mouthful of food.

"You know the gold lantern thing that priests sometimes swing around?" Charlie asked. "It gives off smoke?"

He nodded.

"It's that. Frankincense is repelled by malevolent energy so it'll help us find the tree."

"Huh," he said with a nod. "Okay."

* * *

**The Founding Orchard**

**Burkittsville, Indiana**

**The Warrens + The Winchesters**

It had taken the Hunters a little under fifteen minutes to make it to the far end of the apple orchard, the scenery almost beautiful in a morbid way. Charlie had lit the frankincense once they reached the edge of the blood drop and started to swing the Censer, the smoke billowing out nicely.

"That stuff smells like ass," Dean complained as he followed behind her, his nose wrinkling for effect.

"And how would Johnny Bravo know what ass smells likes?" Courtney asked, looking up at him with a smirk.

Dean glared down at her. "You really wanna go there, Tweety?"

Courtney gasped while Charlie laughed.

"Oh my God, that's perfect!" the older sister exclaimed. "I thought pipsqueak was clever but that actually burns!"

"Shut up, Chucky!"

Charlie sobered almost instantly and spun around to point at her sister. "You promised you wouldn't call me that," she reminded her. "You know I have an issue with possessed dolls!"

Courtney smirked and twirled her finger in the air to tell her to turn back around.

Charlie snarled but did just that, cursing her sister out under her breath as she went.

Dean shook his head as he looked at every tree they passed. "So we're just supposed to walk around till the smoke tells us otherwise?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Courtney told him. "It's kind of like a compass."

"Why haven't we heard of it before?"

"Because you didn't have schooling like Charlie and I."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked, sounding every ounce offended.

She held her hands up in defense. "I just meant that Godfrey homeschooled us. He had us writing essays on Demon species and how to identify a Shape Shifter for a hundred years away. I mean, we took tests on this shit," she told him.

"Seriously?" Dean asked with a snort.

"We're prodigies," Charlie said, spinning around to face them. "If we don't know our shit then our family line is fucked."

Sam frowned at that and went to question it when the smoke suddenly changed direction. "Hey," he said, pointing to it.

"So we go back that way?" Dean asked, pointing to where the smoke was now flying.

Charlie shook her head and spun back around. "Frankincense is repelled by malevolent energies," she remind them, walking over to the closest tree. "Found it!" she announced.

"You sure?" Courtney asked.

She stepped aside and pointed to the intricate carving around the tree's trunk. "Yes, unless all the trees have this."

Sam nodded and stepped up to the tree, uncapping the gas can and pouring the contents onto the bark.

Dean stepped over and picked up a nearby branch, pulling out his lighter to ignite the end of it. "Do you wanna do the honors, sweetheart?" he asked, offering it to Charlie.

She shook her head with a smile. "I think you've earned it," she told him.

He smiled to himself and stepped forward, tossing the branch at its base.

The four Hunters watched as the sacred tree was engulfed in flames, the heat warding off the early morning chill.

"I really hope that doesn't spread to the other trees," Courtney muttered.

"Shit," Charlie said after a moment of thought.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you all think!**

**Faith is up next! **

**Love=Reviews**


	6. Faith Part 1

**April 26th, 2006**

**Superior National Forest, Minnesota **

**East Bearskin Lake Campground**

**The Warrens**

Bouts of boredom before a hunt wasn't unusual for Charlie. Especially when the hunt is as time sensitive as this one was. She looked over to her sister to find her far too absorbed in a new Humanities textbook to be even remotely entertaining. A moment of consideration later she found herself on the porch of their rented cabin, her phone to her ear.

_"Well hello, sweetheart," _Dean greeted after the third ring.

Charlie found herself smiling. "Hi, honey," she greeted back. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

_"Nah, we're on the road," _he assured her. _"I'm guessing this a social call?" _

"I'm bored," she admitted, dropping down into one of the wooden lawn chairs, her feet coming up to rest on the railing. "I'm in the middle of fucking nowhere and I'm bored," she told him, frowning at the glittering lake in the distance.

He chuckled. _"And nowhere is?" _

"East Bearskin Lake Campground in Superior National Forest, Minnesota," she answered.

_"And what are we doing in East Bearskin Lake Campground in Superior National Forest, Minnesota?" _

Charlie's eyebrows shot up at that, impressed at the fact that he remembered it all. "Because we got here later than we were supposed to so now we have to wait till morning to go after the Wendigo."

Dean groaned. _"I had my ass handed to me by one a few months ago. I hate the fucking things." _

Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think anyone particularly likes them," she pointed out. "Though I do like their origin story."

He let out a snort. _"What? Cannibals?" _

She rolled her eyes. "I love the idea that if you do something for long enough that it fundamentally changes you. That you become something else to adapt."

_"Sweetheart, we've already been fundamentally changed," _he told her. _"We're Hunters." _

She dipped her head in agreement. "True but I'm talking about on a cellular level," she explained. "To the point that your body contorts and changes so it'll survive the new environment. Not to mention that the body becomes pretty damn close to immortal. I mean, they live for hundreds of years, some of them might even have living relatives somewhere. Could you imagine that?"

_"Honestly, sweetheart, I never really thought about it till just now," _he told her with a soft laugh. _"You really love this stuff, don't you?" _

"What? Hunting?"

_"The details," _he corrected. _"This isn't just a job for you, is it? It's a hobby." _

She snorted at that. "No, my knife collection is a hobby," she argued. "Hunting is a career."

He let out a laugh. _"Yeah, a career we don't get paid for."_

"Well, if we were lesser beings we would charge the people we save," she mused. "We would ask them how much they have in their savings before we would even consider getting rid of their ghost."

_"We'd have one of those TV shows," _he said, the smile clear in his voice. _"With the theme song and the camera crew." _

"Oh Hell yeah!" Charlie agreed, probably smiling as wide as Dean was. "The Warren and Winchester Paranormal Investigations."

_"Why do you get first listings?" _he demanded.

She shrugged. "Alphabetical order," she answered. "I'll let you pick the theme song," she offered.

He was quiet for a moment. _"For Whom the Bell Tolls." _

"Done," she stated. "We should drive down to LA and pitch it to some producers. We could be set for life."

_"I doubt we could get a lot of actual Hunting done though," _he reasoned.

She sighed and slumped back down into her chair. "I suppose you're right," she allowed. "It looks like we're destined to be drifters till the day we die."

_"I don't know, it's not so bad," _Dean said. _"It's better than a desk job." _

"Amen to that, honey," she said. "What are you and Samwise on the road for?"

He snorted at that. _"Samwise? From Lord of the Rings?" _

"It fits," she defended.

_"Sure, sure," _he muttered. _"Uh, we're on our way to a Rawhead." _

Charlie grimaced. "God, I hate those things," she said, reaching up to scrub a hand over her face. "Court and I took care of one about a year ago and I hated every moment of it. It's just something about the kids, you know?"

_"Yeah, I know." _

"Also, you really need to keep your eyes on it," she advised. "They might be big but they're fast and they don't make a lot of noise. They'll sneak up on you before you even know the fucking thing is behind you."

_"That's comforting," _he muttered. _"Please tell me that the stun guns work at least." _

"They'll work but you won't have a lot of chances so you'll have to make it count," she told him. "Courtney clipped it and it just pissed it off more than it already was."

_"Make it count, got it," _he repeated. _"Any other pearls of wisdom you wish to bestow?" _

"Don't die?"

_"Are you worried about me, sweetheart?" _he asked, that usual cocky tone of his coming back.

She scoffed. "I'm worried about losing my social call partner," she told him. "Who am I going to call in times of boredom if you're dead?"

_"There's always Sammy." _

"He's had to put up with you his whole life, he doesn't need me too," she denied.

_"Sweetheart, I am a joy to be around." _

She smiled to herself. "So am I but our younger siblings don't share that outlook," she reminded him. "I can't tell you how many times I've woken with Courtney standing over me with a pillow in her hands. She says she's just weighing the pros and cons about killing me. Thankfully there's always been more pros."

Dean laughed before he noticed that I hadn't joined in. _"Holy shit, you're serious," _he said. _"How often does she do it?" _

"At least twice a month," she admitted. "There always seems to be something I piss her off about. Besides, from time to time I contemplate throwing her out of the car while she's sleeping so we're pretty much even."

He let out a startled laugh. _"And I thought Sam and I were bad." _

"We really do love each other," she mused. "Deep, deep down."

_"Yeah, far down," _Dean agreed.

"What do you think-"

"Charlie!" Courtney cut in, throwing open the cabin door and running out onto the deck. "You've gotta read this! It's totally going to bust open our theory on Ghoul family dynamics!" she exclaimed, waving the book around.

_"Doesn't that sound exciting?" _Dean deadpanned. _"I'll let you go so you can discuss Ghoul family dynamics." _

Charlie waved Courtney back into the cabin. "Yeah, because that's how I wanted to spend my evening," she said with a sigh. "Will you let me know how the Hunt goes? Reassure me that you're not dead in a basement somewhere?"

_"Will do, sweetheart. Give my best to the little sis." _

"Will do, honey. Give my best to the little bro," she said before hanging up and looking up to her sister. "Ghoul family dynamics? Really?"

Courtney nodded quickly and flapped the book again.

Charlie held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," she said, pushing herself up from the chair. "Let's do this."

* * *

**April 27th, 2006**

**Superior National Forest, Minnesota**

**Three miles from the Canadian boarder**

**Courtney + Charlie Warren**

Charlie couldn't help the grunt of pain that left her when she slammed into the tree and slid down to the forest floor.

"Charlie!" Courtney yelled before running forward and throwing the blazing bottle of vodka at the blurring shape.

The glass shattered and the flames spread across the writhing figure of the Wendigo, its screeches of pain and anger filling the otherwise quiet forest.

"Woooo, go Courtney!" Charlie called from her spot against the tree.

She beamed over at her sister as the Wendigo collapsed to the ground. "That was pretty awesome, wasn't it?" she asked, resting her hands on her hips as she admired her work. "I think we should take a picture. Frame it and put it on the mantle."

Charlie nodded as she pushed herself to her feet, a groan of pain leaving her as she did. "Godfrey would love that," she agreed, dusting her pants off. "Too bad we can't mount the head."

Courtney almost pouted at that. "Damn, that would have been perfect," she said, frowning down at the smoldering pile of ashes. "Maybe we could-"

A high pitched ringing from her back pocket cut her off.

She pulled the devise out and smiled when she saw the caller ID. "Well if it isn't the Jolly Green Giant," she greeted.

_"Hey, Courtney." _

Her smile dropped when he didn't call her 'pipsqueak'. "This isn't a social call, is it?" she asked, a knot twisting in her stomach.

He let out a weak laugh. _"Uh, no, isn't something else," _he told her. _"It's Dean." _

She looked over to Charlie and waved her over. "What's wrong with Dean?" she asked.

Worry twisted across Charlie's face as she walked over, leaning down to listen to the call.

_"We, uh, we were hunting a Rawhead and, uh, there was water in the basement and Dean was laying in it when he shot it. It, uh, it triggered a massive heart attack and the doctors are saying that there's nothing they-they can do, uh-" _he cut off to clear his throat. _"I just, uh, wanted to know if you or your sister know about anything that can-can keep him-" _

"You need a cure all," Courtney interrupted.

He sighed. _"Yes." _

She looked up to her sister to find a determined look on her face. "Where are you guys?"

_"Uh, Burlington, Illinois." _

"We'll call you when we get there, okay?" she asked.

_"You really don't have to-" _

"Do you want help or not?" she demanded.

He didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought," she said. "See you in four hours," she told him before hanging up.

There was a moment of silence before Charlie took several steps away and shouted 'fuck' into the trees.

Courtney grimaced before looking over to her sister with a smile. "It'll be okay, Charlie," she assured her.

Charlie spun back around and pointed at her. "I fucking told him to be careful! I fucking told him!"

"I know you did," she said, "but he's a Winchester so we have to go bail them out. So let's go down to Burlington and fix Dean up, okay?"

"You can't heal Dean Winchester."

Both girls jumped and spun around to find Zadkiel standing by the smoldering remains of the Wendigo.

"What?" Charlie asked.

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Charlotte, but you can't heal him."

"And why the hell not?" she demanded, starting towards him. "I've healed people before!"

"In order for certain things to transpire you cannot heal Dean Winchester," he explained.

Charlie's jaw clenched as she started towards him. "What certain things?" she pressed.

He shook his head. "I can't tell you the specifics but I can tell you that if you help Samuel Dean will live."

"Why can't you tell us the specifics?" Courtney asked, walking over with a calmer demeanor.

Zadkiel gave her a small smile. "Because if Charlie knew then the outcome would change," he told her, "and after what happened last time Heaven isn't smiling too fondly on their oldest Nephilim."

Charlie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it wasn't that bad."

He gave her a pointed look. "Charlotte."

She pursed her lips and looked away from him. "Fine, it was bad," she agreed.

Zadkiel smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I still love you though."

Charlie's lips twitched into a small smile but she fought against it. "What if you're wrong and he dies?"

"When have I ever been wrong?" he asked her. "Besides, Dean Winchester is important."

"He is?" both women asked.

Zadkiel looked between the two girls and let out a nervous chuckle. "Just promise that you won't heal him," he said, looking to Charlie.

She watched him for a moment. "If you promise that he won't die," she compromised.

"I promise that Dean Winchester won't die."

Charlie gave a nod. "Then I won't heal him," she said, holding her hand out to him.

He took it and gave a firm shake. "I'll visit when the dust settles," he said as he leaned over to kiss Courtney's forehead. "Don't let your sister get into too much trouble."

She shook her head with a wide smile. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Could you take us there?" Charlie asked. "I really don't think I could sit through an eight hour car ride."

Zadkiel chuckled and reached out grab both of the girls' shoulders.

* * *

**Kindred Hospital Sycamore **

**Burlington, Illinois **

**The Warrens and The Winchesters **

Neither of the Warren girls had ever felt comfortable in hospitals Restless spirits always seemed to gravitate toward Courtney and Charlie often had family members request last rites. All in all, it wasn't very pleasant.

"You ready for this?" Courtney asked as they walked across the hospital parking lot.

Zadkiel, being his usual considerate self, had brought them a few blocks away from the hospital, even making the extra trip get their car so Charlie wouldn't have a panic attack and they wouldn't be stranded. He fluttered away after a reminder to behave.

"If one person asks me to bless a dying person I'm knocking them out," she stated.

Courtney let out a small laugh and shook her head. "At least the dead people don't talk to you."

"That's because you're too nice," she stated. "You have to tell them to fuck off."

Courtney reached up and smacked her shoulder. "I am not telling a ghost to fuck off."

"Then you're perpetually talking to dead people," Charlie mused.

She rolled her eyes and followed her sister through the automatic doors.

The lobby of the hospital was surprisingly crowded, anxious families and relief filled loved ones took up every available space. Even Sam Winchester was stationed on one of the well-worn couches, his knees nearly pulled up to his chest due to the broken springs.

"Hey, Jolly Green," Courtney greeted once they were close enough, her tone oozing sympathetic.

He looked up and gave her a small smile as he pushed himself up from the couch. "Hey, pipsqueak," he said, clearing his throat when it broke.

She stepped forward and threw her arms around Sam's waist, hugging him as tightly as she could manage.

Sam's eyes widened as he looked down at the woman attached to his waist.

Charlie couldn't help but smile. "She's not going to let you go until you hug her back," she advised.

He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, a smile of his own spreading across his face when he realized that he could have touched his sides. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," Courtney said, her voice muffled.

"How did you guys get here so fast?" he asked, looking over to Charlie this time.

She shrugged. "I don't acknowledge speed limits," she told him. "How's your brother?"

He swallowed hard and shook his head. "He wants me to leave him here."

She frowned at that. "Alright, why don't you two start researching and I'll try to talk Dean into living another thirty years," she suggested. "What room is he in?"

"Uh, B-23," he answered.

She nodded and reached out to pat his shoulder. "We'll get him up and running in no time," she assured him before walking over to the elevators. She stood in the far corner, eyeing the other people in the confined room, silently daring any of them to ask for a prayer. She practically ran when the doors open, narrowly avoiding the shoulder of an elderly woman as she did so. Charlie flashed her an apologetic smile before starting down one of the halls. "Okay, B-23, B-23," she muttered, glancing at the room numbers. "Ah!" she yelped when she saw the number, reaching out to grab the door handle to stop herself form walking past it. "Candygram~!" she sing songed as she pulled open the door.

The room, to put it politely, was sterile. Everything was white and the air smelled of disinfectant.

"He called you?" Dean asked from his hospital bed, his voice gruff and far from amused.

Charlie paused for a moment to look him over, taking in his ashen skin tone and the dark circles under his eyes. She put on her best pout and closed the gap between her and the bed. "Do you want me to leave?" she asked, reaching out to straighten his bedhead.

He sighed and lolled his head over to press into her hand. "You're already here," he said.

She let out a snort. "Gee, thanks for the consideration, Dean," she said.

"Yeah, well, that's me all over," he grumbled, shifting to look back to the TV.

Charlie pursed her lips and watched him for a moment before tapping his head. "Do you think there's enough room for two in there?" she asked, pointing to the bed.

His eyebrows shot up at that and a smile spread across his face. "Hell yeah," he said before shifting as far over as he could and lifted up the covers.

Charlie tossed her jacket across the back of the chair and toed her shoes off before crawling into the offered space. "How are you feeling?" she found herself asking.

Dean chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer into his side. "How do you think, sweetheart? I feel like I'm dying."

She frowned and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Do you want optimistic or sympathetic?" she asked, letting her head drop down to his shoulder.

"Neither," he answered, tossing the blanket over her and grabbing the remote. "Tell me about your Wendigo," he said, changing the channel.

Charlie sighed and shook her head the best she could. "It threw me into a tree and Courtney doused it with a Molotov cocktail," she explained. "Tell me about your Rawhead."

He was quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh of his own. "It got the drop on me," he answered. "The basement was flooded and it had thrown me and…." He trailed off, "and here we are."

"Me saying 'I told you so' wouldn't go over well, would it?" she asked, attempting to put some humor in her voice.

"No it wouldn't," he answered. "I don't need a lecture, Charlie."

"I know you don't," she agreed, shifting over to lay on her side and wrap her arm around his chest, her hand pressed over his heart. "I've grown rather attached to you, I hope you know," she told him as she counted his irregular heartbeats.

He cleared his throat and brought his other hand up to cover hers on his chest. "Yeah, well, me too," he said.

Charlie couldn't help but smile at that as she turned her attention to the TV, mildly amused to find him watching a soap opera. She was about to comment on it when the hospital room opened and a flustered looking nurse speed walked into the room.

"I'm sorry, you can't be in here," she said, looking pointedly at Charlie. "Visiting hours are over and this is highly inappro-"

"She's my wife," Dean barked out, glaring over at the nurse, "and I'm dying."

Surprise slapped the woman across the face. "Oh, I didn't-"

"Yeah, now who's being inappropriate?" he interrupted.

Charlie took the queue and buried her face into Dean's chest, letting out several muffled sobs.

Dean's arms tightened around her. "Do you mind?"

The nurse jumped and nodded quickly, already backing out of the room. "Right, of course. I'm so sorry," she said, pulling the door closed behind her.

There was a moment of silence before both Hunters busted out laughing.

"So," Charlie gasped out, "what's my new last name?"

Dean took several calming breaths. "Berkovitz," he answered before busting up again.

She groaned. "Seriously? That's one letter away from the Son of Sam," she complained. "Please don't tell me you did that on purpose."

He shook his head. "No, no, that had nothing to do with me," he assured her. "It was all Sammy."

"Remind me to ask him what he was thinking later on," she mused.

"Okay," he chuckled out, settling down with a slight wince, his hand pressing harder into her over his heart.

Charlie frowned at that but didn't comment.

"So, can I ask you a question?" he asked suddenly.

She let out a snort. "You just did."

He let out a suffering sigh. "Fine, can I ask two questions?"

"I don't see why not," she allowed with a smirk.

He scoffed. "You were in Northern Minnesota last night and you took care of a Wendigo this morning," he started. "Sam wouldn't have called you till he talked to the doctors and that couldn't have been less than an hour ago."

"What's your point?" she asked despite already knowing the answer.

"How the hell did you get here so fast?"

"What makes you think we weren't heading this way already?" she challenged. "I told you we have a house in Massachusetts. We pass through Illinois on our way there."

He scoffed. "So you were an hour away?"

She nodded. "We were in Naperville," she lied.

He narrowed his eyes as he thought that through. "I don't know why but that doesn't sound right to me."

"Well, you were electrocuted last night, it probably knocked a few screws loose."

He let out a laugh. "Ouch."

Charlie allowed herself to chuckle. "I'm sure you're still pretty sharp, honey," she assured him, wiggling her fingers under his hand.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "Where's Tweety?"

A smile stretched across her face at that. "With Samwise. They're starting research."

Dean let out another suffering sigh. "Goddammit. I'm dying, nothing's going to change that."

Charlie shrugged. "You're not dead till you're dead," she stated. "Not to mention that in our world there's always a way to change the outcome. I mean, you don't really want to die, do you?" she asked, turning her head so she could look up at him.

Dean's jaw clenched and his fingers flexed against her waist.

She lost her smile and pushed herself up onto her elbow to get a better look at him. "Dean?"

He dropped his head back and closed his eyes. "I'm tired, Charlie."

"So you're just going to die? Not even going to try and fight?"

"I don't have much of a say in the matter."

"Bullshit!" she snapped. "It's your life and you have all the say in the world."

He chuckled humorlessly. "My hearts fucked up, Charlie," he reminded her. "I've got a month at best and just thinking about getting out of this bed hurts. I'm sorry I'm not feeling too optimistic."

Charlie felt her eyes well against her will and attempted to blink them away but a stubborn one managed to escape. She huffed and looked away from him, hating the inconvenience of emotions.

"Ah, sweetheart, don't-don't do that," he groaned, reaching up to brush the stray tear away. "I'm not worth that."

She looked back to glare at him. "You don't get to decide that," she told him.

"Charlie-"

"You don't," she interrupted. "You don't get to decide the value others assign to you. I mean, we might not know each other that well, but I've never gotten along this well with another person outside my family my entire life. I value that. I value that greatly."

He watched her for a moment before clearing his throat and looking away from her. "I, uh, I don't do-" he cut off with a frown. "I don't have friends. I don't. So, you're….."

"Special?" she supplied.

"Sweetheart," he said, looking back to her with a small smile, "you have no fucking clue."

Charlie pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking into consideration of how utterly exhausted he looked. She pressed her hand back over his heart and counted again, thinking of how easy it would be to simply fix it.

**"Charlotte, remember what I told you." **

Her eyes welled up again when Zadkiel's voice rang through her head. She thought to argue again but reminded herself that the angel promised that Dean would survive this.

**"Have faith." **

She would have laughed if anyone else had told her that.

"Charlie?" Dean asked.

She blinked back into reality and gave him a small smile. "How do you feel about taking a nap?" she asked.

Surprise swept across his face but he didn't question it. "I could take one."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good," she said before lowering herself back down. "Do you think that bitchy nurse is going to come back in?" she asked, reaching down to pull the blanket up to her shoulders.

Dean chuckled. "No, I think I scared her off," he assured her.

"Thank god," she grumbled, burrowing into his shoulder and closing her eyes. "I've been up since four and I'm not afraid to choke a bitch out."

He laughed, his body jerking as he did.

"Okay, if you're going to be my pillow you have to lay still," she told him.

"Right, sorry," he said, instantly going still. "You comfortable, sweetheart?"

She let out a hum of affirmation. "You?"

His arm tightened around her once again. "I'm just fine."

* * *

***Three hours later* **

Charlie jerked awake when the hospital room door was opened, craning her head around to look at who she assumed was the nurse from before only to find a smiling elderly woman.

"I'm sorry to wake you, dearie, but I have lunch for you two," she explained, holding up the tray in her hands up higher for her to see.

Charlie managed a smile. "Thank you," she said, her voice thick with sleep.

The nurse walked over and set the tray onto the side table. "How is he doing?"

Charlie glanced back at the still sleeping Dean. "It's taking a lot out of him," she answered. "I've never seen him this sick."

It technically wasn't a lie.

The woman nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile. "How long have you two been married?"

Charlie saw the opportunity and took it. "It-it'll be a year in a month," she answered, her voice wavering as her eyes teared up again.

The woman cooed and reached out to pat her arm. "Oh, I'm sorry, dearie," she said. "Life sure can be cruel."

Charlie nodded and blinked out a few tears. "I just wish we had more time."

"So do I," she said before pulling her hand back. "I'll come back for the tray later, alright?" she asked.

She nodded again and gave a small smile. "Thank you."

The nurse nodded and retreated from the room, closing the door as quietly as she could manage.

"It's almost scary how good you are at that."

She looked back over to Dean to find him watching her. "A girl has to make a living somehow," she stated with a smirk. "Are you hungry?" she asked, pushing herself up turn to the tray. "I know hospital food is less than appetizing but it's better than nothing."

He groaned. "Ugh, can't you get us burgers or something?" he asked.

She shook her head. "There's no way they'd let me through the door with them," she said, pulling the lids off the trays. She managed to hide her grimace from Dean when she saw the dry turkey, instant mashed potatoes with gravy and steamed vegetables. "Could be worse," she muttered. "Do you want to eat or not?"

He huffed. "Fine, yeah."

She smiled and pulled the table over the bed.

"Oh God, look at that," he said, the sneer on his face almost painful. "This can't be legal."

She chuckled and held one of the forks out to him. "I have to eat it too so stop complaining," she told him before shoving a forkful of the potatoes into her mouth. She forced on a smile to counteract the grainy texture of the instant mush.

Dean let out a laugh and nodded. "That's encouraging," he stated before cutting off a piece of the turkey. "This won't kill me faster, right?" he asked.

"God, I hope not," she muttered, cutting off a piece from her own. "Should we say a prayer?"

He shook his head. "Sweetheart, that ain't going to do anything," he stated before taking the bite.

Charlie watched as he chewed, waiting for the expression of sour to appear.

Dean's eyebrows shot up and he nodded his head to the side. "It's actually not that bad."

"Really?" she asked, taking her own bite and instantly regretting it. "You like that?"

He busted out laughing. "No, I just wanted to see your face," he admitted.

Charlie scoffed and bumped her shoulder into his. "Ass."

* * *

**Home Away Inn**

**Burlington, Illinois**

**Courtney Warren + Sam Winchester**

Courtney let out a frustrated sigh and tossed the medical book back onto the bed. "We can officially rule out even considering doing anything medical," she stated. "With his life expectancy he won't even qualify for a heart transplant, and any of the practiced heart surgeries wouldn't even help," she explained. "There isn't even anything experimental."

Sam sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. "And I'm having no luck either."

She frowned and looked over to her phone sitting on the bed beside her. It would be so easy to convince Charlie to ignore Zadkiel's order and heal the Winchester.

**"He will live through this." **

Courtney startled at the sound of the angel's voice in her head.

**"You must have faith." **

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and looked back to Sam. "He'll be okay, you know?" she asked. "He's a Winchester, you guys always seem to bounce back."

He let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, yeah we do."

Courtney got up from her spot and walked over to him, once against throwing her arms around him.

Sam didn't hesitate for as long as he had the time before and wrapped his arms around the petit woman.

"We'll find something," she assured him. "There's always something."

* * *

**Will Dean die? Will Charlie choke a bitch out? Stay tuned! **

**Reviews=Love **


	7. Faith Part 2

**April 28th, 2006**

**Kindred Hospital Sycamore **

**Burlington, Illinois**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester **

Dean was jerked out of his restless sleep when his room door opened and closed frantically. He cracked his eye open and glanced over to the door only to find Charlie with her back pressed against it. "What's wrong?" he found himself asking.

She looked over and flashed him a wide smile. "I think one of the nurses saw me," she answered before holding up a white paper bag.

He perked up at that. "You didn't."

She nodded and walked over to the bed. "It was a lot harder to sneak this in than I thought it would be," she told him, setting the bag on the table and pulling it open. "Bacon cheeseburgers and steak fries," she explained.

Dean moaned at that. "You are an angel."

Charlie paused at that and managed to keep herself from laughing. "I think I like sweetheart better," she told him, handing over one of the wrapped burgers. "Less pressure."

He chuckled. "I think I can manage that," he mused, unwrapping it and taking a rather large bite.

Charlie would be lying if she said she wasn't amused. "It's not the hospital food that's going to kill you quicker it's those," she told him, nodding to the junk food in his hand.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh don't you start with that," he said around a mouthful of food. "I'm dying, let me have something."

She scoffed and pulled out the fries. "You're not going to die," she reminded him. "Not if I can help it."

"Don't start with that either," he told her.

She reached out and smacked his shoulder. "And don't you start that," she countered.

He went to give a smart retort but stopped when he was the ring on her finger. He let out a whistle as he caught her hand and got a better look at it. "Now that's a rock."

Charlie couldn't help but smile as she looked down at it. "It was my mother's," she explained.

Dean looked up to her in surprise. "Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "I thought it would shine a better light on you if your wife had a wedding ring," she mused.

He let out a snort and nodded. "Yeah, a couple of the nurses have been giving me the stink eye," he said. "I thought it was because I keep flirting with them."

"Yeah, it probably is because you're flirting with them," she agreed.

"Why?" he asked, pulling a face.

"Dean," she said, holding her left hand up to show him the ring, "as far as they know you're married. Most women don't take kindly to married men flirting with them."

He frowned. "So I can't flirt at all?"

"Sure you can but none of them are going to like it."

He sighed and slumped further into the bed, taking another bite from his hamburger. "This place sucks."

Charlie nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, honey, but hospitals aren't made to be fun."

* * *

**Home Away Inn**

**Burlington, Illinois**

**Courtney Warren + Sam Winchester**

It was always odd for Courtney to wake up without her sister. Charlie wasn't an early riser by nature but she was a light sleeper and once she was alert she was up. Courtney would often find her hunkered over the hotel table with a stack of books or her laptop, elbows deep in some form of research that'd take at least an hour to pull her from. This morning, however, she found herself waking to the smell of coffee.

She pushed herself up and scanned the room, pleasantly surprised to find that the whirlwind of papers and books she had fallen asleep to was now organized. She looked over to the bathroom when the door opened and the giant that was Sam Winchester stepped out.

"Oh, hey," he greeted when he saw her.

"Hey," she greeted back with a small smile. "What time is it?"

He glanced down at his watch. "Uh, a little after six," he answered.

She groaned lightly but didn't complain. "Do I smell coffee?"

Sam jumped at that and spun around to grab a to-go coffee cup from the table. "Should still be warm," he told her as he held it out.

Courtney took the cup with a thankful smile and sipped at it. "How'd you know how I take it?" she questioned, a little surprised.

He shrugged with a small smile. "How'd you sleep?"

She allowed the change in subject and shrugged the best she could. "Not too bad," she answered. "You?"

He cleared his throat and sat down at the table. "So, I found this article on faith healers," he told her.

Courtney wasn't all that surprised to find that he hadn't slept. She doubted she would sleep in Charlie was dying. "Faith healers, huh?" she asked, climbing off the bed and shuffling over to him. "I've never been very fond of them."

Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

"A lot of them are just backwater preachers who get off on the adoration," she explained. "It's very rare to find one that actually has the power of healing. Me and Charlie came across one years ago."

"Really? Where?" he demanded, sounding far too anxious.

She shook her head and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, Jolly Green, but one of his more devoted followers took a shotgun to his head. He's been out of commission for a while."

He deflated at that.

"But that doesn't mean we can't find one," Courtney encouraged. "We just have to be very thorough when we look into them."

Sam sighed with a nod.

* * *

**Four hours later**

**Kindred Hospital Sycamore **

**Burlington, Illinois**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester **

"Okay, that's it," Dean said, tossing the remote to the foot of the bed and throwing the blankets back. "I'm checking myself out."

Charlie looked up from her book in shock. "What?!" she demanded.

"I'm getting the fuck out of here," he answered, pushing himself up.

"That is a very bad idea, Dean," she said, tossing her book to the side and jumping up. "You have heart failure," she reminded him, grabbing hold of his shoulders to keep him down.

He shook his head. "I don't give a shit," he gruffed out, reaching over to press the button for the nurse.

"Dean, honey, think about this," she implored. "If something else happens with your heart there's nothing we can do."

He grabbed her wrists but didn't try to pull her away. "I'm not dying here," he told her, his voice going a little softer. "Please, sweetheart, not here."

Charlie found herself caving, knowing that if she had been in his position she would do the same thing. "Okay," she sighed, moving her hands from his shoulders to his face and leaning down to kiss his forehead. "But you better not die on me."

He let out a small laugh. "No promises."

"That's not funny," she muttered before the door opened and the nurse wondered in.

"You summoned?" she asked, flashing them a rather pleasant.

Charlie cleared her throat and stepped back from Dean. "We're checking him out," she answered. "Can you get us the paperwork?"

"What?" she nurse asked, looking like we had just told her we were going to jump from the roof.

"You heard her," Dean said, swinging his legs over the edge. "I'm checking out."

The woman floundered for a moment. "But-but you can't just-"

"Listen, if I can't convince him then there's no way in Hell that you can," Charlie interrupted. "This will go a lot faster if you just do what we ask."

She floundered once again before shaking her head and bustling out of the room.

"I love it when you take charge like that," Dean commented.

Charlie looked back to him with a frown. "I still don't like this," she told him.

He gave her a smile. "You're helping out a dying man."

She resisted the urge to smack him. "Dammit, Dean, stop doing that!"

"What?"

"You know what."

The nurse came back into the room accompanied by a frowning doctor.

"Mr. Berkovitz, I highly don't recommend you leaving the hospital," he said, fixing him with a stern look.

Dean sighed. "Listen, doc, I'm not dying in this hospital," he told him. "So, I'm leaving."

Charlie squared off with the doctor. "Believe me when I tell you that he will leave without signing the release form," she said. "We all know that if he does that you're at risk for malpractice."

The doctor shifted uncomfortably and looked between Dean and Charlie.

"Give him the release form and if he does something stupid then it's out of your hands."

The man sighed but walked over to Dean and handed him the clipboard. "You do understand the risks, right?" he asked.

Dean took the clipboard and pen. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, signing his name and initialing in several places. "Where are my clothes?" he asked, handing the clipboard back.

The nurse sighed and slipped out of the room, the doctor following after her.

"Your brother is going to kill me for letting you do this," Charlie stated, dropping down to sit next to Dean on the bed.

He scoffed. "You're not letting me do anything."

A smirk pulled at her lips. "Because you're a strong, independent man who makes his own decisions."

Dean let out a snort of laughter. "Damn right I am," he agreed. "And this strong, independent man is not dying in a hospital."

Charlie grunted and smacked her shoulder against his. "You're not dying at all," she stated.

"Sure, sweetheart, sure."

The nurse pushed her way back into the room, a plastic clutched in her hands. "Do you need help getting dressed?" she asked, the question sounding more out of obligation than actual helpfulness.

Dean snatched his clothes from her and shook his head. "I think we can managed it," he stated.

She pulled a face at him before once again leaving the room.

"I'm not fucking helpless," Dean grumbled, hoping down from the bed and shuffling towards the bathroom door.

Charlie sighed and watched after him, going to ask if he actually did need help but stopped when she saw the back of his hospital gown. "Oh my God."

Dean stopped and looked back at her. "What?"

"I'm going to start calling you honeybuns from now on," she stated, pointing to the perfect view of his ass the slit in the gown allowed her.

He arched an eyebrow. "You like what you see?" he asked.

"You could bounce a nickle off that thing," she stated, awfully tempted to do just that.

Dean smirked and gave a nod. "You bet my sweet ass you can," he agreed, strutting into the bathroom with a little extra swing in his step.

Charlie couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

**_Home Away Inn_**

**_Burlington, Illinois _**

**_Courtney Warren + Sam Winchester _**

"Have you called your dad?" Courtney suddenly asked.

Sam dropped his hands and stared at the carpet for a moment before answering. "I don't-" he cut off to clear his throat. "I don't think it'll make a difference."

Courtney hated how true that was. "He might know something we don't," she offered.

He hesitated but pulled out his phone and dialed John's number. His jaw clenched when it went straight to voicemail. "Hey, dad, it's Sam. Uh, you probably won't get this but it's Dean. He's, uh, he's sick and the doctors say there's nothing they can do. Um….but, uh, they don't know the things we do, right? Um, so don't worry cause I'm going to do whatever it takes. Alright, just wanted you to know," he said before handing up and dropping his phone to the side.

Courtney got up from her spot and walked over to him, once again pulling him into a hug he hadn't seen coming.

He didn't hesitate as long as he had before and wrapped his arms around her.

"He's going to be okay," she assured him, resting her head atop of his. "He's a Winchester."

Sam let out a clipped laugh. "Yeah, that-"

Several knocks at the motel door cut him off.

"Are we expecting someone?" Courtney asked, pulling back from Sam as he got to his feet.

He shook his head and walked over to the door. He glanced back to Courtney before pulling it open to reveal an annoyed looking Charlie supporting a sickly Dean. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

"He checked himself out," Charlie answered, pulling Dean closer to her before all but dragging him into the room.

"Are you crazy?"

Dean smiled over at his brother. "I'm not going to die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot."

Sam let out a scoff and closed the motel door. "You know, the whole I-laugh-in-the-face-of-death thing? It's crap. I can see right through it."

"Yeah, whatever dude," Dean said. "Have you even slept? You look worse than me."

"Yeah, Sam, have you slept?" Courtney repeated, giving him a pointed look.

Sam shot her a look that both older siblings caught. "We've been scouring the internet for the past three days," he explained.

Charlie helped Dean into the nearest chair and patted him on the head before walking over to her sister. "I hate hospitals," she muttered dropping down onto the side of the bed.

Courtney smiled and pulled her sister into a side hug.

"We've been calling ever contact in dad's journal."

"For what?" Dean asked.

"For a way to help you," Sam deadpanned. "One of dad's friends, Joshua, called back and told me about a guy in Nebraska. A specialist."

Courtney leaned closer to her sister. "Faith healer," she whispered.

Charlie looked over to her in surprise. "Really?" she whispered back.

She nodded.

Dean shook his head. "You guys aren't going to let me die in peace, are you?" he asked.

Sam smiled. "We're not going to let you die at all. We're going."

Dean rolled his eyes and slumped further into his chair. "Now? Dude, that's, like, 13 hours away."

"Well, since you saved us from having to make a trip to the hospital," he answered.

He shook his head. "Come on, man, you haven't slept in days and there's no way I can drive like this."

Charlie suddenly perked up and gave Dean a bright smile. "Remember when you said the day I drive the Impala was the day you were dying?" she asked.

Dean thought for a moment before letting out a groan. "And you said that I jinxed myself?"

She nodded quickly.

"Fuck."

_*20 minutes later* _

"I swear to God, Charlie, if you get one scratch on my baby I'm gonna kill you," Dean said for the third time as he pulled the passenger's door closed.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Dean, look at my car," she said, pointing over to the Camaro. "Can you tell me what color red that is?"

Dean grumbled and squinted out the window. "Cherry?" he asked.

"No, it doesn't have a name because I mixed it myself," she told him. "I painted it myself and I stenciled those racing stripes by hand. That car has never been through an automatic carwash while in my ownership. Do you seriously think I would take that much care with my own car and not give a shit about someone else's?" she demanded.

He wanted to argue with her but he knew she was right. "Fine, but my threat still stands."

Charlie accepted that and turned back to the steering wheel. "I'd tell you to put your seatbelt on but apparently you Winchesters don't believe in them," she muttered, spilling the key in and cranking the engine.

Dean went to make a comment but stopped when he saw the expression of bliss on her face as the car roared. A soft smile twitched at his lips as he relaxed back into the leather. "You've really got a thing for cars, don't you?"

She hummed in agreement. "My dad has a '66 Mustang convertible that he treats like a third child," she explained. "He always told us that if you take care of your car it'll take care of you. I mean, all the shit Courtney and I put that beauty through and she still starts for us? I'm going to live by those words."

"Huh," Dean grunted, making a mental note to give his baby a full service if he survived this.

* * *

**April 29th, 2006**

**Roy Le Grange's Church Tent**

**Alliance, Nebraska **

**The Warrens + The Winchester **

The state of Nebraska was raining and the parking lot was a mud field.

"Charlie is going to have a conniption bitch fit," Courtney mused, already knowing that there was mud caked around the wheels.

Sam winced with a nod. "So's Dean," he mused, watching the Impala in front of them and the mud. "He's going to be going at it with a toothbrush."

"I wish you were joking," she said, pulling into a spot next to the black car. "He's not going to like this, is he?" she asked, nodding to the sign in front of the tent.

Sam shook his head. "Hell no."

"Fantastic," she grumbled, shutting the engine off and throwing open the driver's door.

"Man, you're a lying bastard!" Dean called over to his brother as Charlie helped him out of the car. "I thought you said we were going to see a doctor?!"

Sam walked over with an approachable expression. "I believe I said a specialist," he corrected.

Dean shot him a glare as Charlie wrapped his arm around her shoulder while hers went around his waist.

"Dean," Courtney spoke up as she walked around to them, "Sam and I spent a day looking into this guy. From what we can find he's the real deal."

He remained far from amused. "I can't believe that you guys brought me to someone who heals people out of a tent."

"Le Grange, is a great man," a woman walked by commented.

"Yeah, that's nice!" he snapped out, grunting as Charlie pulled him forward towards the tent.

"I have a right to protest," a man argued at a police officer. "This man in a fraud. He's conning all these people out of their hard earned money!"

The officer shook his head. "Sir, this is a place of worship. You can't be here. Let's go," he said, grabbing hold of him and pulling him away.

"I take it he's not part of the flock," Dean noted.

Sam sighed. "Well, when people see something they don't understand there's controversy."

"There would be some naysayers about what we do for a living," Charlie added.

Dean groaned. "But come on, a Faith Healer?"

"Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Dean," Sam stated.

He glared at his brother. "You know what I have faith in? Reality. You know, what's really going on."

"How can you be a skeptic?" he laughed. "With the things we see every day?"

"Exactly! We see them. We know they're real."

"Dean," Charlie sighed, tightening her arm around his waist, "I told your dad this a long time ago. If evil exists then the good has to as well, it's a simple balance."

"Yeah, it's not like the entire world consists of evil," Courtney agreed. "Hell, before John met us he didn't believe in Demons but that didn't mean they didn't exist."

"But that-"

"There's a balance to the world, Dean, accept that," Charlie deadpanned.

He gave her a surprised look but didn't argue with her.

Sam glanced inside of the tent. "Come on, it's getting pretty full."

Dean gave a nod and held Charlie back. "Grab us seats."

Charlie flashed Sam an encouraging smile.

"Okay, sure," Courtney said, looping her arm through Sam's and pulling him into the tent.

Dean herded her off to the side and brought his free hand up to cradle her jaw before leaning down to kiss her.

Charlie's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the sudden affection but in all honesty it wasn't unwelcome. The arm already around his waist pulled him closer while the other snaked up his chest and rested at his neck, her fingers curling around and into his hair.

A sigh left Dean as he leaned into her, surprised by how comforting the simple act was. He thought to press a little deeper but a part of him seemed to know that it would cheapen the moment. He indulged a moment more before pulling back from her, a goofy grin spreading across his lips almost instantly.

"What was that for?" Charlie asked, a grin of her own on her face as she looked up at him.

"I'm not going to die without doing that at least once," he answered, giving her the same excuse she had used in that fucker's cellar.

A small laugh escaped her when she realized that. "Smooth, honeybuns, real smooth," she praised.

"It's been said," he agreed before nodding towards the tent. "Let's get this show on the road."

Charlie let him navigate through the hoard of people and over to their siblings who were apologizing to sick people about the saved seats.

"Come on, right in the aisle," Sam said, grabbing his brother form Charlie and forcing him into the seat on the very edge.

"Dammit, Sam, stop doing that," Dean complained, pulling his arm out of his brother's grasp with a glare.

Charlie moved past the two men and took the seat next to her sister.

"Please tell me you can smell that," Courtney whispered as soon as she sat down.

She pulled in a deep breath and instantly frowned. "Reaper," she stated.

Courtney nodded. "I can't see them though."

The older Warren scanned the tent. "I can't see them either."

"I don't like this, Charlie."

"Me neither."

"Each morning my wife reads me the news."

The tent hushed and every eye went to the blind man on stage, smiles on the faces of those who could.

"It never seems to be good, does it?" Roy asked.

The crowd agreed.

"It always seems that there's someone committing an immoral, unspeakable act. But I say to you, God is watching. God rewards the good and he punishes the corrupt. It is The Lord who does the healing here, friends. The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts."

"Amen," the crowd chorused.

Dean let out a snort. "Yeah, into their wallets," he muttered to Dean.

"You think so, young man?" Roy countered.

Dean had a moment of panic when he realized that he had been heard. "Sorry," he said loud enough to be clearly heard.

Roy shook his head. "No, no," he assured. "Just watch what you say around a blind man that's got real sharp ears."

Dean actually smiled at that.

"What's your name, son?"

"Dean."

"Dean," Roy repeated, nodding a few times before motioning him forward. "I want you to come up here with me."

Applause swept through the tent while Dean waved them off.

"No, it's okay," he stated.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded.

"You've come here to be healed, haven't ya?" Roy questioned.

Dean hesitated. "Well, uh, but, uh-" he cut off when more applause erupted. "Maybe you should just pick someone else!" he called over the noise.

Roy shook his head. "I didn't pick you, Dean, The Lord did."

Dean still refused to move.

Charlie looked between him and the stage before letting out a frustrated sigh and getting up. "Get your ass up," she told him, reaching out to grab hold of his arm.

He looked up to her in panic. "Charlie-"

"Don't fucking try me, Dean, get up," she told him.

The thought of making a run for it flashed through Dean's head but he knew that Charlie would catch him before he even cleared a few feet. He glanced around him once again and got to his feet.

The crowd clapped again as Charlie pulled him over.

Roy's wife stepped to the side and held her hand out to Dean to help him up, a soft smile on her face.

Charlie stayed by the stairs till he was on the stage before moving back to lean against the pole by the podium to watch.

"You ready?" Roy asked, turning to Dean.

"Yeah, look, no disrespect," he started, looking far too uncomfortable, "but I'm not really a believer."

Roy smiled widely. "Don't you worry, son. You will be," he told her before addressing the others. "Pray with me friends."

They all raised their linked hands and bowed their heads.

Roy raised his hands as well and pulled in several deep breaths.

Charlie glanced back to her sister when she felt something in the room shift.

Courtney shook her head with furrowed eyebrows, just as confused as her.

The Healer moved a hand to press against Dean's head. "Alright now," he said, his smile widening.

Charlie lurched forward when Dean suddenly fell to his knees, his eyes glazing over.

"Okay now," Roy said as if Dean's reaction was completely normal. "Here we go."

Dean slumped the rest of the way down, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Dean!" all three of them yelled, each running forward to his side.

Charlie got to him first and threw herself onto the stage to pull him into her lap. "Dean?!" she called. "Dean!"

Sam got there next and grabbed the front of his hoodie. "Dean, hey!"

"Winchester!" Courtney called, appearing beside Sam before something else seemed to catch her attention. She reached out and grabbed hold of Charlie's shoulder and shook it.

Charlie looked to her sister before following her line of sight and saw the Reaper.

He stood at least two feet taller than the reverend with a face that showed the centuries he had seen. He was dressed in the black suit typical of funeral directors, attire that seemed all too appropriate. He looked to Dean for a fleeting moment before turning away and disappearing.

* * *

**I have no excuse for how late this is. Not a one. Let me know what you though! **

**Review=Love **


	8. Faith Part 3

_April 24__th__, 2006_

_Box Butte General Hospital _

_Alliance, Nebraska _

_The Warrens and The Winchesters _

They had taken Dean to the hospital as soon as he would let them, all four of them piling into the Impala with a grumbling Dean. They had made up a convincing story for why they were there and the doctors put Dean through the various tests, leaving them to wait for the results.

Dean had hoped up onto the examination table and Courtney had commandeered the rolley chair while Charlie and Sam paced the room.

"And you're sure you feel okay?" Sam asked for the hundredth time.

"I feel fine, Sam," Dean answered in a deadpan voice.

"Okay," the doctor said as she breezed into the room, "according to all you're testing there's nothing wrong with your heart," she stated, stopping in front of Dean. "There's no sign that there ever was. Not that a man your age should be in heart trouble. Still, it's strange. It does happen."

Charlie let out a relief filled sigh and hugged Dean from behind, her forehead resting between his shoulder blades.

Dean didn't seem to mind her attention. "What do you mean strange?"

The doctor shrugged. "Well, just yesterday a young guy like you, 27, athletic, out of nowhere has a heart attack," she told him, clicking her pen and scribbling across the chart.

"Thanks, doc," he said, giving her a nod.

She flashed him a smile before heading back out of the room.

Dean pursed his lips. "Well that's odd," he stated.

"It's a coincidence," Sam defended. "People's hearts give out all the time, man."

He shook his head. "No they don't."

"Dean," Charlie spoke up, raising her head to rest her chin on his shoulder. "They're called Miracle Workers for a reason."

Sam nodded. "Exactly. Why are we looking this in the mouth? Can't we just be thankful that the guy saved you and just move on?"

Dean shrugged out of Charlie's hold and jumped from the table. "No, because I can't shake this feeling, that's why," he stated, moving away from his brother to walk about the table.

"What feeling?" Sam muttered.

"When I was healed I felt…wrong," he answered, pulling on his jacket. "I felt cold and for a second I saw someone, this-this old man. I'm telling you, Sam, it was a spirit."

"But if there was something there, Dean, I think we would have seen it too," Sam reasoned. "I mean, I've been seeing an awfully lot of things lately."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Will you two stop arguing," she said. "It was a Reaper."

"A what?" they asked, looking over to her.

"Reaper," she repeated, turning her attention to Charlie. "Right?"

Charlie nodded with a sigh. "It was a Reaper."

"You both saw it?" Dean demanded, pointing between the two.

They nodded.

"Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

"Because Reapers follow people who are about to die," Charlie answered. "It's not all that strange to see one in a tent full of dying people."

Sam's brow furrowed. "But you saw it?" he asked, the question directed at Courtney.

She nodded. "Just as Dean said."

"Why couldn't I see it?"

Courtney shrugged. "Some people can, some people can't," she supplied.

Dean shook his head. "I don't care about that!" he barked out, addressing his brother. "I've been Hunting long enough to trust a feeling like this," he stated. "You're just gonna have to have a little faith on this."

Sam watched his brother for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "Alright," he agree. "So what do you wanna do?"

"Why don't you go check out that heart attack guy? I'm going to visit the reverend," he answered before looking back to Charlie. "You guys taking off?"

Charlie looked over to her sister who flashed her a smile. "I think we'll stick around," she told him. "I mean, it's not like we didn't have a hand in this. Courtney helped find Roy and I literally dragged you there so.." she trailed off with a shrug. "We'll help."

He smiled at that and gave her a nod. "Let's go then."

* * *

_Roy Le Grange's House_

_Alliance, Nebraska_

_Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester _

It wasn't all that surprising to Charlie that Sue Ann and Roy Grange welcomed them so warmly. Dean was suspicious but Charlie wasn't getting a bad vibe from either of them.

"I feel great," Dean assured them as Sue Ann poured them iced tea. "Just trying to, you know, make sense of what happened."

Roy nodded in understanding.

"A miracle is what happened," Sue Ann stated. "Miracles come so often around Roy," she continued, holding out a glass to Charlie.

"Thank you," she said, taking the offered glass with a smile. "So, Roy, something like this doesn't just happen. I mean, God must have picked you for a reason, right?" she asked, taking a gulp.

He gave a small smile. "I woke up one morning stone blind. Doctors figured out that I had cancer. They said that I had maybe a month," he told her.

Charlie glanced over to Dean when he leaned back at that.

"So we started to pray for a miracle. Now, I was weak but I told Sue Ann 'you just keep on praying'," he said, turning his smile to his wife.

Sue Ann beamed with what looked like pride.

"I went into a coma. They said I wouldn't wake up but I did and the cancer was gone," he continued, taking his sunglasses off to show his vacant eyes. "If it wasn't for these eyes no one would have believed I ever had it."

Charlie's eyebrows furrowed. "So you never asked to be a healer?" she asked. "It was never something you prayed for?"

Roy shook his head.

"You could just suddenly heal people?" Dean asked skeptically.

"I discovered it afterwards, yeah," Roy answered, seeming not to like the tone in Dean's voice. "God's blessed me in many ways."

Sue Ann nodded quickly. "And his flock just swelled overnight. This is just the beginning."

Dean gave her an uneasy smile before looking back to Roy. "Can I ask one last question?" he asked.

"Course you can."

He swallowed hard. "Why? Why me?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Out of all the sick people, why save me?"

Charlie found herself reaching out to run her hand up Dean's back, wanting nothing more than to comfort him but knew he wouldn't take it well.

Roy seemed confused by the question. "Well, like I said before, God guides me. I looked into your heart and you just stood out from all the rest."

Dean leaned closer to him. "What did you see in my heart?"

A smile twitched across Roy's face. "A young man with an important purpose," he answered with a firm nod. "A job to do, and it isn't finished."

Dean nodded at that but didn't really seem to accept it.

Charlie saw the self-doubt and knew it was time to end the conversation. "Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us," she said, pushing herself up. "Everyone's so excited that Dean's still with us that they're demanding to see him tonight," she told them.

Roy beamed at that. "I'm glad I could help," he said, rising as well and holding his hand out.

Charlie hesitated slightly before taking his hand, reminding herself that it might help figure out what was going on. A wave of warmth washed over her and a feeling of well-being followed before she pulled her hand back.

"Yeah, thanks again," Dean said getting up to shake his hand next. "Really, thanks."

"Thank you for the iced tea also," Charlie added, taking another gulp before setting the glass back on the tray.

"It's our pleasure," Sue Ann told her, waving her off.

The two Hunters shuffled awkwardly out into the hall and to the front door. The waved goodbye once again and stated back for the Impala.

"So," Dean started, shoving his hands into his pockets and hunching over," what do you think?"

Charlie looped her arm through his and shook her head. "Whatever this is I don't think its Roy," she told him. "He seemed far too convinced of his own ability for him to be faking it. Sue Ann though…." She trailed off with a frown.

Dean let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, she was a little too Betty Crocker for my tastes," he agreed. "Do you think it's her?"

"I didn't get that good of a read off of her," she admitted, "but there was something odd about her."

"So it is her?" he asked, looking over to her with a raised eyebrow.

She shrugged the best she could. "I'm not going to make assumptions at this point."

He scoffed and jostled her back and forth. "Then why did I bring you?" he asked.

Charlie laughed at that and tightened her hold on his arm to keep her steady. "Because you like me~" she sing songed.

"Sure, sweetheart, sure," he said with a smirk before looking over to give a nod at a passing pair of women only to get a glare in return. He paused to look after them, a confused expression on his face as he watched them. "What the hell was that about?" he demanded.

Charlie looked back and concentrated on the older woman's mind, her small smile falling when the thoughts fluttered through her head. "The younger woman is her daughter and she has a brain tumor," she explained. "The doctors have given her six months to live and they've come to every one of Roy's sermons hoping that he'll pick her."

Dean's confusion doubled. "What's her problem with me?"

Charlie sighed. "She doesn't understand why you get to live instead of her daughter."

His face fell and the self-doubt swelled off him again. "Oh."

"Dean," she said, bringing her free hand up to turn his head back towards her. "You have every right to live just as much as anyone else."

"But I-"

"But nothing," she interrupted. "Come on, Dean, you can't think like that," she told him. "You just can't."

His jaw ticked but he didn't argue with her.

"We'll figure this out, okay?" she asked, her voice soft as she ran her thumb across his cheekbone.

Dean leaned into her hand and gave her a tense smile. "Okay."

* * *

_The Popoff Motel _

_Alliance, Nebraska _

_The Warrens and Winchesters_

To say that any of the four hunters were in a good mood would be a gross overstatement. Sam and Courtney had come back from the health club the runner, Marshall, had collapsed with the unsettling news that Dean was right. The shorter Winchester was swimming in self-doubt and loathing despite Charlie's constant reassurance that everything was going to be fine.

Courtney nearly jumped out of her skin when the motel door opened. She shot a glance to Sam as their older siblings filed into the room.

Sam glanced over at well, his face pulled into a frown.

Charlie closed the door behind her as she watched Dean toss his jacket angrily onto his bed.

"What'd you find?" he asked, walking over to his brother.

Sam hesitated. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?"

Sam sighed and looked back to his screen. "Marshall Hall died at 4:17."

Charlie sighed and slumped back against the door in disappointment.

"The same time I was healed," Dean stated.

"Yeah."

Courtney cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter. "Sam and I found all the people Roy has healed over the past year and we compared them to the local obituaries. Whatever ailment Roy has healed someone else has died of."

His face soured. "Someone's healed of cancer, someone dies of cancer?"

She nodded. "Roy is switching lives."

Dean held up a hand. "So, Marshall Hall died to save me?" he demanded.

Charlie's frown deepened before she pushed off the door and shuffled closer to him, knowing he was over do for a mental break about the situation.

Sam knew this too and gave a reassuring smile. "Dean, he was probably going to die anyway and someone else would have been healed," he said.

Both sisters winced at that.

Dean shook his head. "You never should have brought me here," he stated, turning from his brother and pacing back towards the door, only stopping when Charlie grabbed his hand.

"He was trying to save your life," she reminded him.

"And now some guys dead because of me," he countered, the glare on his face showing no room for compromise.

"Dean," Sam implored, "I didn't know."

Dean clenched his jaw and looked back at his brother.

Everyone in the room knew that there was no blame to be dealt between them, that there was no way for any of them to have known what would happen. It didn't stop them, however, from shouldering a piece of it.

Sam cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "What I don't understating is how Roy is doing it," he continued, looking back to his screen. "How-how he's trading a life for a life."

"It's not Roy," Charlie told him. "He's all warmth and well-being, black magic would have tainted him."

Courtney frowned. "You think it's the Reaper."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "You and I both know that Reapers aren't allowed to do anything like this," she stated, tightening her grip on Dean's hand and pulling him back over to the others.

"And a rogue Reaper wouldn't spend their time with a faith healer," Courtney reasoned. "There's no point to it."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "So it has to be something else, right?"

Courtney wanted to agree but couldn't. "We both saw the Reaper."

"Yes, but Roy didn't."

Sam let out a small laugh. "Charlie, he's blind."

She shot him a look. "No shit, really?" she asked, the annoyance in her voice clear.

He leaned back at that and turning his attention back to his laptop.

"What I meant was that he didn't acknowledge it," she amended. "The Reaper was standing less than a foot away and Roy couldn't feel the effects but Dean could?"

"If Roy was controlling it he'd have felt what Dean felt," Courtney stated. "He would have had a physical reaction similar to Dean's."

"How do you even control a Reaper?" Dean asked, walking over to lean against the kitchen counter.

Courtney sighed. "Well, it's black magic," she answered.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "What about a cross?" he asked.

"What?"

He perked up and began searching through the pile of papers that littered the desk. "There was this cross. I noticed it in the church tent," he explained, grabbing hold of their tarot cards and shuffling through them. "I knew I'd seen if before," he stated, holding out one of them to his brother.

"A tarot?" Dean asked, taking the card.

Charlie arched an eyebrow and leaned over to look at it. "How have we never noticed that before?" she asked, plucking the card from his hand and showing it to her sister. "Look at the staff."

Courtney squinted at it before letting out a laugh. "That's a binding sigil," she mused.

Sam shrugged. "It makes sense. I mean tarot dates back to early Christian, right?" he asked. "I mean, some priests were still using magic. Let's say they veered into the dark stuff. Necromancy. How to push death away, how to cause it."

"So someone's using black magic to bind the Reaper," Dean concluded.

Charlie let out a laugh and shook her head. "That's one hell of a ride, if they are," she said. "Reapers have been around as long as Death has, putting a leacs on one would be like trying to saddle break a tornado."

A finality moment of silence fell over the room.

"Okay, then we stop them," Dean said, the determination back in his voice.

"How?"

"You know how."

That was honestly a little concerning for the other Hunters.

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about, Dean?" Sam asked, looking to his brother as if he had grown several more heads. "We can't kill them."

"Sam, they're playing God. They're deciding who lives and who dies. That's a monster in my book," he explained.

"No," Sam denied firmly. "We're not going to kill a Human being, Dean."

Dean seemed put off.

"If we do that then we're not better than they are."

He fixed his brother with a look similar to one John used on occasion. "Okay, so we can't kill them, we can't kill Death. Any bright ideas, college boy?" he snipped out.

Sam's frown deepened at that.

"Listen," Charlie interrupted, not liking the tension between the two Winchesters or the look on Dean's face. "They're using a spell so all we have to do is figure out which one. If we know that then we'll know how to break it."

Courtney nodded. "Once we do that the Reaper will be free and it'll take care of whoever bound it in the first place," she stated. "So it'll be Karma instead of murder," she added, looking to Sam on that part.

He gave her an unamused look but didn't argue with her.

"Alright, fine," Dean allowed, "but how the hell are we going to track down whoever's doing this?"

"I think it's Sue Ann," Charlie supplied with a shrug. "You agreed that there was something off about her," she mused, looking over to him.

He gave her a look. "I thought you weren't going to make assumptions?"

She flipped him off. "Other than Roy she's the only one who has anything to gain from the situation. I mean, it was kind of odd how she said that this was only the beginning."

"She could just be a religious nut," Courtney muttered. "We've seen our fair share of those."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "True, but she's the best option we've got at the moment. She's worth looking into."

"Then let's go talk to her," Dean said, pushing off the counter to grab his jacket off the bed.

The girls looked over to Sam in silent question.

He let out a sigh but nodded anyways. "Let's go."

* * *

_Roy Le Grange's Church Tent Thing _

_Alliance, Nebraska _

_Courtney Warren and Sam Winchester_

"There has to be a spell book somewhere in that house," Courtney stated as they climbed out of the Impala.

"Hell, maybe even a shrine," Charlie added, closing the door and starting for the tent.

Dean nodded. "Alright, you two go see if you can find it," he said, gesturing to Sam and Courtney. "Hurry up too, the service starts in 15 minutes. We'll try to stall it."

"Roy Le Grange is a fraud," the same protested from the day before stated, appearing in front of their group. "He's no healer," he stated, holding a flyer out to Sam.

"Amen brother," Dean agree, stepping past him and heading towards the tent, Charlie trailing beside him with an almost uneasy smile.

"You keep up the good work," Sam told him, taking the flyer.

"Thank you," the protested said with real gratitude

Courtney nodded to him as she followed after Sam towards the house, doing her best to look as inconspicuous as possible. "Nice catch on the tarot card, by the way," she said, working her short legs overtime to keep up with him.

Sam looked down at her with a surprised smile. "Oh, uh, thanks," he said.

"I mean, I actually read tarot cards and I didn't catch it," she continued. "You don't have an eidetic memory, do you?"

He laughed at that and shook his head. "No, not that I know of."

She narrowed her eye sat him. "Not even a photographic memory?"

"Not that I've noticed."

Courtney didn't seem convinced. "I'm not convinced."

He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."

She hummed in consideration before jogging up off the path to the side of the house. She grabbed hold of Sam's hand and pulled him down behind the pushes as the Le Grange's walked past on their way to the tent.

"Come on," he said once they were far enough down the path.

They crept up onto the porch, Courtney keeping an eye on the growing crowd by the tent while Sam pushed up one the windows.

Courtney would have laughed at the sight of the 6'4 man folding himself through the window if it wouldn't have drawn attention. She hurried after him, easily fitting through the space before Sam let the lace curtain fall back into place.

"Where do you think we should start?" Sam asked, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"Locked doors are usually a good place to start," she mused, scanning the room as she walked to the door.

Sam couldn't deny that and followed after her, reaching into his pocket to pull out his lock pick set.

Courtney peeked her head out into the hall to make sure the coast was clear before stepping out. "They don't have any kids, right?" she asked.

"Right," Sam agreed.

"Probably a good thing," she muttered, reaching for the closest closed door and trying the handle, frowning slightly when it opened for her.

Sam cleared his throat and he hovered behind her. "So, you would be able to sense the book, right?" he asked.

She nodded as she peered into the room, reaching her mind out to scan the room. "I mean, if its within ten feet of me," she answered. "Spell books don't give off that much of a vibe unless they have serious heavy black magic in them."

He let out a laugh. "Binding a Reaper isn't serious heavy black magic?"

"Its old magic but it's not that heavy," she explained, pulling the door closed once again and moving for the next one. "It's actually pretty easy if you have clear instructions."

His eyebrows shot up at that. "Seriously?"

She nodded and grabbed the doorknob, her smile brightening when it refused to turn. "Bingo," she said, stepping aside to let Sam kneel before it. "Most magic is easy if you have the right instructions. I mean, half the shit my sister and I do is considered heavy magic but we could do it in our sleep."

Sam paused and looked up to her. "You're kidding."

She shook her head. "With what we do it's necessary."

He watched her for a moment before nodding his head to the side and turning back to the lock. Half a moment later the lock clicked and Sam opened it.

Courtney let out a chuckle as she walked in. "Oh this is perfect," she said.

Sam arched an eyebrow and followed her in, a smile of his own pulling at his face when he saw the library. "Well, if you're going to hide a book," he mused. "Is it in here?"

She nodded and spun in a full circle till her eyes landed on the book case by the door. "Ah ha!" she said, practically skipping over as she scanned the books. She wiggled her fingers as she moved her hand down the top row before stopping over the copy of the Encyclopedia of Christian History. She pulled it out and handed it over to Sam before reaching back into its empty spot. "Unless they make spell books in brail Charlie was right about it not being Roy," she stated, pulling out the small leather bound book.

"Sue Ann's looking better and better," Sam agreed, shifting over to look at the book over her shoulder. "Hey, that's the cross," he said, reaching out to point to the picture she had flipped to before grabbing the newspaper clipping that was folded like a bookmark. "It's Marshall Hall," he said once he had it open.

"'Openly gay teacher wins lawsuit'," she read out. "What's the other one?" she asked.

He flipped it open. "'Local abortion rights advocate calling an end to violence against women'," he read.

"There's another one," she mused, reaching out to pull the newspaper free from the book. "It's the protester outside," she said, laying the clipping on top of the others.

Sam scoffed. "It's a hit list."

"Anyone that goes against her religious beliefs becomes the Reapers next victim," Courtney deduced. "She's justifying it all by using their lives to save others."

"We've gotta tell Dean and Charlie."

* * *

_Inside Roy Le Grange's Church Tent Thing _

_Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester _

Charlie and Dean were once again huddled by the entrance of the tent, watching the mass of sick people file in. Every once and awhile one would catch their eye and they would share small smiles of sympathy.

She looked over to Dean when he gave an involuntary shiver. "Oh for fucks sake," she said, grabbing hold of the bottom of his jacket to zip it up.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, holding his arms out to the side helplessly as she zipped it up as far as it would go.

"Death has a twisted sense of humor," she told him, snapping the buttons closed as well. "Next thing you know you'll be dying of pneumonia."

He watched her as she did up his jacket. "You have a mother hen complex, don't you?" he asked, sounding a little amused.

"No more than you," she mused.

He scoffed. "I do not-"

"Dean, I've seen you with your brother," she reminded him. "I know you're a mother hen."

He pulled a face but didn't deny it. "Still, you've been taking care of me pretty diligently for a while now," he pointed out. "Do I want to know why?"

She shrugged and looked up at him. "Let's just say that I've grown quiet fond of us nearly dying together," she told him. "You actually make it fun."

A smile twitched at his lips. "You know what, sweetheart?" he asked, lowering his hands to grab the ends of her jacket. "You make it fun too," he agreed, connecting the zipper and pulling it up as high as the folded leather would let him. "We don't want you dying of pneumonia."

She smirked at that and stepped back to his side, her arms coming up to wrap around his waist. "Have I told you how much I love the rain?"

"No you have not," he answered as his arms wound around her shoulders.

"I love the smell and the way it just wipes everything clean," she said, letting her head drop to his shoulder. "Of course, I don't like the mud that comes with it and what it does to my car but…"

Dean groaned at that. "Yeah, it's going to take days to get the mud off."

"I don't want to think about it," she stated. "I'll be at for hours with a toothbrush."

"A toothbrush?"

She nodded. "I told you, my car has never gone through an automatic carwash," she reminded him. "I don't joke about my car."

"I guess you don't," he agreed patting her back and nodding up towards the house. "Here they come."

Charlie pulled away from Dean to look for herself. "It's hard to believe that she has a Reaper on a leash, huh?" she asked, watching Sue Ann guide her husband towards the tent.

"It's always the quiet ones," Dean mused before ducking his head into her shoulder to block his face as they walked by.

Charlie lowered her head as well, really not wanting to make small talk with the woman again. She counted out a minute before pulling back to glance into the tent. "We should go in," she murmured.

Dean nodded and squeezed her a little tighter before pulling back and heading into the tent, his hand finding Charlie's as he did so.

Charlie made sure to keep an eye on Sue Ann while her and Dean skirted around the inside of the tent.

Dean all but jumped out of his skin when his phone went off, his hand digging into his pocket to pull it out. "What do you got?" he answered, leaning down and tilting the phone enough for Charlie to listen.

_"Sue Ann's choosing victims that she deems as immoral," _Sam stated. _"And I think I know who's next on her list. Do you remember that protester?" _

Dean frowned. "That guy in the parking lot?"

_"Yeah. Yeah, we'll find them," _he assured them. _"But you guys can't let Sue Ann kill anyone, alright?" _

"Yeah, alright," Dean agreed before handing up. "Come on," he said, shoving the phone back into his pocket and starting to the front of the tent where Roy was already standing.

"How are we going to stop this without looking like complete assholes?" she asked, looking over the crowd of the sick and the dying.

"I have no idea."

Roy scanned the crowd before a wide smile pulled at his face. "Layla Rourke!" he called. "Come up here, child!"

Charlie heart sank. "Oh shit," she breathed.

"What?" Dean asked, looking down at her in confusion.

"That's the girl from before," she told him. "The one with the brain tumor."

Dean's face crumbled as he watched Layla hug her mother. "Ah man," he groaned.

Layla looked all too happy as she made her way to the stage.

* * *

_The parking lot _

_Courtney Warren and Sam Winchester_

The two made their way through the parking lot, weaving through the cars in search of the protester.

"Do you think he's still around?" Sam asked.

"God I hope so," she said, pushing herself up onto her tiptoes to look of the top of a red ford. "The cops ran him off last time."

Sam nodded in remembrance. "Yeah, I-"

"Help!"

They both spun around at the sound, scanning the cars before taking off towards the way they hadn't looked yet.

Courtney spotted the Reaper before the man and bolted forward, throwing herself in front of it with her arms held out to the side.

**In nomine Domine**

**Ego præcipio tibi, ut dimitterentur**

The Reaper stopped and turned his head to the side as he looked her over.

She kept her eyes on it as Sam ran behind her to the protester. "Sam, get him out of here," she told him, knowing she could probably hold the Reaper back long enough for her sister or Dean to stop it.

"Courtney, I don't-"

"Sam, don't argue!" she snapped. "I'm the only one who can see it and do something!"

He hesitated but ultimately ran off with the protester.

_**"What a curious thing you are." **_

Courtney felt the Reapers voice vibrate in her bones, the ancient timber somehow sounding wrong speaking English.

_**"What are you, winged one?" **_

She resisted the urge to shudder. "Nephilim," she answered.

His face remained unchanging. _**"In all my years I have never met one of your kind." **_

"We're rare," she agreed.

_**"Do you presume to break the binding spell?"**_

She nodded quickly. "We will break it."

_**"I propose you work fast," **_he advised before disappearing.

Courtney let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding and let her arms drop.

* * *

_Inside Roy Le Grange's church tent thing_

_Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester_

"We gotta stop this," he stated despite the fact that he hadn't moved.

Charlie understood his hesitation and decided to take it upon herself to handle the situation. She pulled away from his side and made a slow retreat to the entrance of the tent, making sure not to draw attention to herself. She pulled out the lighter she kept in her jacket as she walked around to the far corner of the tent, scanned the parking lot for someone who might see her before crouching down and flicking the lighter to life. "Forgive me Father," she muttered as she held the small flame to the canvas. "Damn, that really is a fire hazard," she said, jumping up to her feet when the tent wall went up in flames.

Screams erupted from inside the tent.

"Fire!"

"The tents on fire!"

"Everybody out!"

Charlie backed away as people began to rush from the tent, doing her best to appear as frantic as they did.

Dean came out a moment later, his eyes darting from person to person till they found her. He all put pushed through the crowd to get to her. "Please tell me that wasn't you."

She shrugged. "Just screaming fire wasn't going to get anything accomplished," she reasoned, attempting to make setting a tent full of people on fire not sound as bad as it really was. "Besides, it'll stop the sermons for a while."

He shook his head at that. "You're something else, you know that?" he asked.

"It's been said," she agreed. "Call that brother of yours."

Dean dug his phone back out of his pocket and pressed the first speed dial. "Hey, we did it, we stopped the service."

_"David? I think it's okay," _Sam said, clearly speaking to the protestor.

The was a tense moment of silence before sound of panic erupted from the phone.

_"Dean, it didn't work! The Reaper's still coming!" _

Charlie reached up and pulled Dean's arm towards her so she could speak into the phone. "The service isn't happening, Sam, there's no reason for that Reaper to be doing anything."

_"Well, I'm telling you! It must not have worked!" _

Charlie cursed and let Dean pull back his arm. "Where the fuck is Sue Ann?" she demanded, turning her attention to the crowd of hysterical people to find Roy but not his wife. "Dammit!" she snapped before darting past Dean and running back into the still on fire tent.

"Charlie!" Dean called after her.

She ignored him and continued through the tent, pausing only momentarily when she heard the murmur of Latin. A humorless laugh left her and she started for the stage. "That's an impressive piece of Latin!" she called out once she spotted Sue Ann huddled behind one of the larger crosses.

The older woman jumped and spun around, her hands clasped around the cross from the tarot card.

"Where did a good Christian woman like you learn it, I wonder," she mused, tilting her head to the side.

Sue Ann shook her head and clutched onto the cross tighter. "Hel-"

**In nomine Dei, **

**De lingua sectis serpens**

The preacher's wife choked on her words and a hand flew up to her throat in shock.

"I know some Latin too," Charlie told her, stopping a few feet away from her. "Hell, I'm fluent in it."

Sue Ann continued to choke as she tried to speak.

"I just said 'in the name of God, cut out the tongue of the snake'," she continued. "Now, if what you're doing is righteous then why can't you speak?"

Tears streamed down the woman's face as she shook her head furiously.

Charlie let out a tired sigh. "You do know that you're going to Hell, right?" she asked. "For blasphemy and murder, and I'm pretty sure we can throw in false prophecy too if we try hard enough," she told her.

Sue Ann crumbled to her knees, her hands held together in a beg.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, have some self-respect," she chided, reaching down to grab Sue Ann's arms and pull her up.

The not so good Christian woman put up a surprisingly energetic fight.

Charlie grunted in effort to keep the woman under slight control. "God dammit, stop it!" she snapped.

"Hey!" an authoritative voice shouted, breaking Charlie's concentration and the spell over Sue Ann.

"Help! She started the fire! Help!" the woman shouted.

Charlie suddenly found herself in the arms of a very strong police officer. "Let me go! Let me go!" she demanded as she was dragged out from the tent. She raised a foot and attempted to kick Sue Ann as she followed after them but the effort got her nowhere.

The cop spun her around once they made it outside, his grip on her not loosening in anyway.

"I just don't understand," Sue Ann said, stepping around to stand in front of Charlie and the officer. "After everything we've done for you. After Roy healed your Dean."

Charlie resisted the effort to spit at her and gave her a sadistic smile instead.

Sue Ann shook her head. "I'm just very, very disappointed, Charlotte," she said letting out a sigh. "You can't let her go now. We won't press charges. The Lord will deal with her as He sees fit," she told them, raising her head righteously before turning and walking off towards her husband.

Charlie bucked against the cops arms and he released her. She spun around on her heel and pointed a finger up into the cops face. "How dare you-"

"Wow there, sweetheart!" Dean suddenly interrupted, running up to them and wrapping his arms around Charlie's waist. "I'm sorry about her, she just gets a little hot under the collar, you know," he said, attempting to laugh it off as he backed himself and Charlie away.

The officer shook his head. "If I catch you here again I'm going to put the fear of God into you, you understand?"

Dean nodded quickly. "Yes, sir, fear of God. Got it," he said.

He scoffed and turned to watch the tent continue to burn.

"Hillbilly inbreed jackass," Charlie cursed, moving Dean's arms away from her waist and straightening out her jacket. "I had her. She was literally on her knees begging for mercy!" she complained.

Dean nodded and threw his arm over her shoulders, continuing to lead her back towards the car where Sam and Courtney were waiting. "I don't doubt it," he told her "I'm just glad you stopped her in time."

She smiled at that but it instantly fell when they passed the Grange's and Layla's mother.

"We'll have a private session tonight. No interruptions," Roy promised her, patting the woman's hand. "On my word, I will heal your daughter."

"Thank you, reverend. God bless you."

Charlie let out a loud groan and all but dived headfirst into the arms of her sister. "I hate this place," she declared, her voice muffled against Courtney's coat.

The younger Warren didn't seem all that surprised by her sister's actions. "What happened?" she asked, her tone betraying the fact that she didn't really care.

"She set the tent on fire," Dean answered, pulling his keys out of his jacket.

"Again?"

Sam looked between the two in shock. "She's set a tent on fire before?" he asked.

Courtney nodded and patted her sister on the back. "The first and last time we tried camping," she explained.

Charlie pulled back to throw her arms in the air. "I'm sorry! The marshmallow caught fire and I panicked! It's not my fault that it landed on the tent. They should stop making the damn things so flammable," she stated before pointing back to the still on fire church tent. "I mean, look at that thing! That's supposed to be safe for a shit ton of people but that lit up faster than a goddamn Christmas tree! How did that pass inspection?!"

Courtney shook her head in amusement. "Well, the fire department is going to get here and they'll see how unsafe it is," she assured her, "but we should really be gone before then."

She shot one last glance back at the burning tent before nodding.

Courtney flashed her a smile before stepping back and climbing into the backseat of the Impala.

"I can't believe that cop just grabbed me like that," she grumbled, crawling in after her. "He couldn't have known I was threatening her! It just looked like I was trying to drag her out of the tent. I could have been saving her life!" she argued. "But then he broke my concentration and Sue Ann told him that I started the fire, which she has no evidence of!"

"Charlie, you did set the tent on fire," Sam reminded her, looking awfully amused.

She pointed a finger at him. "But she didn't know that," she protested. "So she lied."

He couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Don't laugh at me, Samwise," she said, reaching out to smack his shoulder.

He continued to do just that.

* * *

_The Popoff Motel _

_Alliance, Nebraska _

_The Warrens and Winchesters_

To say that Dean was a little on edge would have been an understatement. He paced the length of the motel room with his shoulders hunched and a scowl on his face. Sam was perched on the end of one of the beds watching his brother with that expression of concern he always seemed to wear. Courtney and Charlie were sprawled across the other bed on their stomachs, the worn spell book open before them as they almost hungrily read through the pages.

"I can't believe how old this is," Courtney mused, running her fingers across the page. "I mean, it was written by a priest who practiced Black Magic."

Charlie nodded in agreement and flipped to the bookmarked section. "There's even a spell for trapping a Reaper."

Dean looked over to them. "Must be a hell of a spell," he stated, leaning down to look at the page.

She hummed in agreement. "That's putting it lightly," she said. "The spell requires a black alter."

"You need bones, human blood, things you'd expect to find in a serial killers basement," Courtney continued, grimacing at the pages.

Sam let out a scoff and shook his head. "To cross a line like that," he said. "A preachers wife. Black Magic. Murder. Evil."

Dean frowned like that and crouched down at the end of the bed to look closer at the book. "Desperate," he corrected. "Her husband was dying, she would have done anything to save him."

"She was probably using the binding spell to keep the Reaper at bay," Charlie theorized.

"Cheating death, literally."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but Roy's alive so why is she still using the spell?"

Courtney seemed to perk up at that. "One of the victims was an abortion activist, Marshall hall was an openly gay teacher who just won a lawsuit, and the protester is calling Roy's following a cult."

"She's using the Reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral," he explained.

Dean's face soured. "May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work."

"Amen," the sisters chorused.

"We need to break the binding spell," Sam stated.

Charlie picked up the book and flipped around for the brothers to see, pointing to the picture of the cross in the corner. "Sue Ann had this Coptic cross," she told them. "When I got to her in the tent she was clutching it pretty tightly while chanting the spell. I think it's her tether to the Reaper."

Sam's brow furrowed. "So do we destroy the cross or the alter?" he asked.

"I think we should destroy both to be safe," she answered, shrugging the best she could.

Dean shook his head. "Well, whatever we do we gotta do it soon. Roy's healing Layla tonight," he stated, pushing himself up to his feet and pacing back over to the window.

"I don't think we'll be able to do anything now," Courtney said, tearing her eyes from the book to look at the older Winchester. "It'll be a lot easier when it gets dark."

Dean's jaw clenched but he didn't argue with her.

Charlie and Sam shared a look of knowing worry.

"Hey, honeybuns?" she asked, attempting to make her tone as light as possible.

Dean glanced over at her. "What, sweetheart?" he asked.

"What do you say me and you go for a little drive?" she suggested, pushing herself up from the bed and stepping off. "Maybe get something to eat?"

He knew what she was doing but the hopeful smile on her face killed any will he had to deny her. He let out a sigh and nodded, stepping over to grab his jacket off the back of the chair.

"Do you want to take my baby instead?" she asked, reaching over to swipe the keys off the nightstand. "I'll let you drive."

He paused at that but a small smile twitched at his lips. "Seems only fair," he answered.

Charlie beamed and grabbed her coat from the bed. "You behave while we're gone, alright?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom," Courtney droned out, not bothering to look up from the book.

"That includes you too, Samwise," Charlie said, pointing to the giant of the man. "Don't do anything your brother and I wouldn't do."

A snort of laughter left him at that and he nodded. "Sure, Charlie."

She shot him a wink.

Dean pulled his jacket on and wrapped his arm around Charlie's waist as he walked past her towards the door, pulling her with him.

Charlie resisted the urge to giggle and let him walk her backwards. "You're lucky I like you," she told him.

He smirked down at her as he pulled the door closed behind them. He swung her around and pulled her coat out of her arms before holding it up to her.

She raised an eyebrow at him but let him help her into her coat. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome. Now hand over the keys," he said, holding his hand out with a smirk.

Charlie rolled her eyes but placed the keys in his hand nonetheless. "You better treat her like a lady, Winchester," she warned.

He swung the keys around his finger. "I always treat 'em right," he assured her.

"I'm sorry but that doesn't instill a lot of faith in me," she told him.

"Hey, I let you drive my baby," he reminded her.

She pursed her lips but knew he was right. "Alright, alright," she allowed, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

He swatted her hand away and shot her a look.

She laughed and skipped ahead of him, silently reminding herself not to go to the driver's side. She bounced on her feet as she waited for him to unlock the car, the nervous excitement that always came with letting someone else drive her car settling in her stomach. She climbed in and was a little pleased to find that she didn't have to adjust the seat to a normal height. "Courtney drove so I would-" she started to warn but Dean was already crammed into the seat.

"How does Tweety drive?" he demanded, reaching between his legs to pull the lever at the bottom of the seat. A grunt leaving him when the seat jerked back. "Wow."

A laugh left her before she could stop it. "I'm sorry," she told him. "She never puts the seat back."

"Sounds like Sammy," he muttered, pulling the door closed and putting the key in the ignition. A look of pure bliss swept across his face when the engine roared to life. "Now that is beautiful," he said.

Charlie nodded in agreement and relaxed back into the seat. "You're damn right," she agreed. "Wait till you get her on the road."

He nodded quickly and threw the Mustang into reverse before taking off onto the road, a bright smile pulling at his face when the roar grew.

Charlie smiled as well but reached over across him to grab his seatbelt.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, moving his arms to accommodate her.

She pulled it taught and buckled it in. "There's this marvelous invention called seatbelts and most standard cars come with them right from the factory," she told him. "They've done studies on how they actually save lives during the event of an accident. Could you imagine? Not having to go through the windshield when you crash? Fantastic!"

He shot her a look but didn't retaliate.

She sat back and buckled her own seatbelt, seeming satisfied with herself.

"So where are we going, sweetheart?" Dean asked.

Charlie thought for a moment before smiling. "Turn onto Box Butte Avenue," she told him, pointing up the road.

He did just that, gunning it around the corner.

"Now keep going till you see the park," she instructed.

He arched an eyebrow. "The park?"

"Just drive, Winchester," she told him, reaching forward to pull open her glove box. She shuffled through several CD cases before pulling one out.

Dean looked over curiously but turned his attention back to the road when she shot him a glare.

She ejected the current CD before putting in the new one, the mechanics of it whirring before Johnny Cash's God's Gonna Cut You Down thumped from the speakers.

Dean's eyebrows furrowed as he listened. "Is this Johnny Cash?" he asked.

She nodded with a bright smile. "My man Johnny," she said fondly. "Don't you like him?" she asked, putting the other CD away and closing the glove box.

He shrugged and pulled face. "I've never really listened to him," he told her. "My dad has some of his early stuff."

She hummed in recognition. "See, I've always been more partial to his older stuff. There's something in his voice that reminds me of Hunting, you know?" she asked, relaxing back into the seat with a soft smile. "That tone of having seen things others haven't," she mused before singing along.

**Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news**

**My head's been wet with the midnight dew**

**I've been down on bended knee talkin' to the man from Galilee**

**He spoke to me in the voice so sweet**

**I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet**

**He called my name and my heart stood still**

**When he said, "John go do My will!"**

Dean found himself agreeing with her. "He's talking about God, right?" he asked. "I didn't think he was a religious guy."

"He declared himself 'the biggest sinner of them all'," she told him. "I like to think of him as one of the perpetually saved."

"Huh," he said, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "That kind of sounds like you, sweetheart," he mused.

A laugh escaped her. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Well, sweetheart, you ain't exactly a saint," he told her. "You take the Lord's name in vain, you swear like a sailor, you dress like a-

"I dress like a what?" she demanded, twisting in her seat to rest her hands on her hips.

He looked her over again, taking in her leather jacket, Rolling Stones tank top, torn jeans and black heeled Timberlands. "You dress like a punk."

She narrowed her eyes at him in thought before slumping back in her seat. "You're right, I do," she agreed. "But none of that really matters in the eyes of God."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows and shot her a look. "It doesn't?" he asked.

Charlie shook her head. "No, shit like that only matters to people who use it to make themselves more righteous than others."

"Like Sue Ann."

"Exactly like Sue Ann," she agreed. "Killings done in the name of a religion are usually a personal crusade," she explained, a bitter tone in her voice. "It's why people saying they're doing God's work sound insane."

A chuckle left him and he nodded. "Bitch is insane."

"I mean, I can understand why she did it in the beginning," she mused. "Saving her husband. When he went into the coma it probably pushed her over the edge but I don't know what happened to make her start killing people."

He nodded. "Monsters I get, people are just crazy," he answered.

"I'm going to get a bumper sticker with that," she told him.

Panic flashed across his face. "Don't you dare put a sticker on her."

Charlie laughed at that and shook her head. "Don't worry," she said before pointing across the windshield again. "Right there."

Dean turned and pulled into the parking lot of the park. "I can't believe you brought us to a park," he grumbled.

"Oh stop complaining, you'll love it," she assured him, throwing her door open once he pulled into a spot. "Pop the trunk?" she asked as she climbed out.

Dean threw the car into park and pulled the lever under the dash that opened the trunk. "What are we doing here, Charlie?" he asked, shutting the engine off and climbing out.

Charlie shoved aside the duffel bags and pulled free a red plaid picnic blanket. "We're taking a break," she answered, clamming the trunk closed and walking around to his side of the car. "Do you have a problem with that?" she asked, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the grass.

He pursed his lips and glanced over to the field of green. "I guess not."

She beamed at that and led them over to a shady spot under a tree, spreading the blanket out before flopping back onto it. "Come on," she said, patting the spot next to her.

He sighed and dropped down to the blanket, seeming far too uncomfortable with the whole thing.

Charlie watched him for a moment before sitting up and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "And back~," she sing songed, dragging him back with her.

Dean grunted as he fell back, his head landing awkwardly against her shoulder. He shifted against the ground, straightening out his jacket and his shirt before letting out a sigh. "I guess this isn't too bad," he allowed.

She smiled at that and moved one of her hands to his hair, her fingers threading through it as she all but petted him.

A goofy grin spread across his face as a moan erupted from his throat. "Why do you keep doing that?" he questioned, no sign of protest in his voice.

"My mom used to do it whenever we sat still long enough," she explained. "This one time, I had been sick for a few days and I just didn't want to move. Mom laid in bed with me and she played with my hair while telling me stories about her and Dad," she said, a soft smile twitching at her lips. "I don't remember that much about her but that memory was always clear as a bell."

Dean cleared his throat when he felt it tighten. "My, uh, my mom used to do it too," he told her.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, knowing the topic of Mary Winchester was a sore spot.

He grunted in denial, his hand coming up to keep hers in his hair.

She smirked and curled her fingers to scrap her nails against his scalp.

A full body shiver shot through him, his toes curling up in his boots. "Ooooh," he shuttered out.

Charlie laughed at that and ruffled his hair. "What would happen if I pulled your hair?" she mused.

"We'd be arrested for indecent exposure," he answered.

She wasn't able to stop the snort that escaped her. "Oh really?"

"Sweetheart, I swear to God, you pull my hair and I won't be responsible for my actions."

Charlie would be lying if she said a part of her wasn't curious but a saner part of her mind prevailed. "I'll keep that in mind for later use," she mused.

"I look forward to it," he told her.

* * *

**I know it's been a ridiculous amount of time since I've posted for this story but I just want to see if there's still any interest in it. Let me know what you think. **

**Reviews=Love**


	9. Faith Part 4

**Roy Le Grange's Church Tent**

**Alliance, Nebraska**

**The Warrens + The Winchesters**

The simple act of Dean not turning on the radio set the entire car on edge. Charlie had forgone her usual spot in the front passenger seat to allow Sam a chance to speak with his brother, something that proved to be difficult with the silence. While tension filled the drive itself wasn't all that long and they were pulling into field that served as the parking lot.

"That's Layla's car," Sam noted, looking towards the house. "She's already here."

Dean gave a subtle nod of agreement. "Yeah," he said, sounding far from happy.

Sam looked to his brother with a frown. "Dean-"

"You know, if Roy would have picked Layla instead of me she'd be healed by now," Dean cut in.

"Dean, don't," Sam said.

"We've talked about this, Dean," Charlie said, leaning forward so she could look at him. "You deserve to live just as much as she does."

He shifted in his seat to look back at her. "Yeah, but how long does she have?" he demanded.

Charlie hesitated, knowing that telling him wouldn't make the situation any better.

"Charlie," he pressed.

"6 months," she answered. "The tumor is inoperable."

Dean's jaw clenched and he turned away from her, glaring out the windshield towards the house.

Sam put on a determined look and leaned towards him. "What's happening to her is terrible, but what are we going to do?" he asked. "Let somebody else die to save her? You said it yourself, Dean, you can't play God."

If it was at all possible Dean's jaw clenched tighter.

"Someone dies either way," Courtney spoke up. "It's just a matter of it being of natural causes or murder."

The truth of that settled over the hunters. It was a morally gray situation that none of them were overly comfortable with.

Dean was the first to move, throwing his door open and lurching himself out of the car. The others followed after him rather quickly, none of them wanting him to get too far on his own. They made their way across the lot in a less than stealthy manner, none of them too concerned with being caught.

"How did they get another tent so fast?" Charlie demanded, her voice a furious whisper.

"Well I doubt they had just the one," Courtney reasoned.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Stercore," she swore.

Sam blinked at that and looked over at her. "Did you just say 'shit' in Latin?"

Charlie held her head high. "Yes I did."

He couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Gather round everyone," Roy's voice sounded from the tent. "Please, gather round! Come in closer."

The four hunters gathered around the entrance, Dean reaching out to pull the flap back far enough to peek in. Roy stood center stage as always, the few followers that had come to support Layla surrounding him on the ground.

"I don't see Sue Ann," Courtney noted.

"There were lights on in the house," Charlie told them.

"And if you were going to build a shrine…." Sam trailed off.

Dean let out a hum of agreement and dropped the tent flap. "House it is. Come on," he decided, stepping back and heading towards the house.

Having passed the police car on the way in Charlie had been on the lookout for the uniformed bastards. She wasn't all that surprised when she spotted them walking down the front steps of the house. "Hey, honeybuns, you up for a rematch?"

Dean's looked over to follow her line of sight and smiled. "Hell yeah," he agreed before reaching out to smack Sam's shoulder. "You two find the shrine, we'll catch up."

"What are you-"

"Don't-"

"Hey, hillbillies!" Charlie called out, strutting out to where the officers could see her.

The two stopped to look at her in surprise.

Dean appeared beside her, a casual smirk on his face. "You gonna put that fear of God in us?"

The men watched them for a moment before lunging towards them.

Charlie and Dean took off together, heading straight for the campground of RV's and cars. While hunters weren't necessarily top athletes it was hard to find one that couldn't outrun a cop. It didn't take much time for Dean and Charlie to get ahead of the two officers.

* * *

**Roy Le and Sue Ann Grange's House **

**Alliance, Nebraska**

**Courtney Warren + Sam Winchester**

Courtney and Sam rolled with the sudden distraction and ran up onto the porch of the house, both of them peeking into the windows in search of Sue Ann.

"She'd have the shrine where someone wouldn't stumble upon it," Courtney mused, frowning as she looked into the living room. "It's probably in the attic or-"

"The cellar?" Sam asked, looking over the railing.

Courtney moved over to look down as well, a small smile pulling at her lips when she saw the light that peeked through the cracks. "Well done, Jolly Green," she praised, grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him back towards the stairs. She dropped his arm to pull open the cellar doors, flinching back slightly when a wave of nausea washed over her. "Yeah, it's down here," she stated.

Sam didn't question her on that, instead he moved to take the doors from her. "D'you want me to go first?"

"Experience before beauty," Courtney stated, throwing her leg over the edge and starting down the stairs.

Sam chuckled at that and followed after her, attempting to close the doors as quietly as he could.

The cellar was dark and smelled like dusty blood, something neither Hunter found overly pleasant. The walls were bare frames with wire meshing that allowed Courtney and Sam to follow the flickering light of several candles.

"What the hell?" Sam muttered when he caught sight of the shrine against the far wall.

Courtney let out a low whistle. "This is pretty impressive for a house wife," she mused, walking forward to get a closer look. "Chicken blood, goat horns, human skull, black candles, worship icons," she listed off before reaching out to pluck something stuck behind the goat horns. "And a target," she finished, holding it up to Sam.

He took it with wide eyes, the picture of his brother with a bloody X over his face not sitting too well with him.

"I gave your brother life and I can take it away."

Both Hunters jumped and spun around to find Sue Ann standing at the foot of the ladder.

"Sam, get the shrine," Courtney told him before lunging towards the woman.

Sue Ann saw this coming and managed to get up the ladder and close the doors before Courtney could reach her.

"Can't you two see?" the woman asked as she slid the board through the handles. "The lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked."

Courtney let out a laugh as she pushed against the doors. "God has jack shit to do with this!" she shouted. "It is not your right to pass judgement!"

Sue Ann chose to ignore her. "Dean is wicked and he deserves to die just as much as Layla deserves to live. It's God's will."

"Murdering people is not God's will!" Courtney tried again. "You're using God's name to justify your own cause!"

"Goodbye."

She let out a frustrated shout and banged against the doors.

"Courtney, hey!" Sam said urgently.

She turned away from the doors and looked over to him. "What?"

He pointed over to a small widow above the dryer. "You think you could fit through that?" he questioned, pulling a wood plank free from the wall and smashing out the glass.

"Jolly Green, that's almost insulting," she told him, walking over and climbing onto the dryer.

Sam tossed the wood down and hovered his hands over her. "Careful," he warned.

Courtney couldn't help but grimace as she climbed through the window, the glass biting into her palms as she went. "And this was supposed to be easy."

* * *

**The parking lot**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester **

Splitting up, in Charlie's opinion, was a terrible idea. She had told Dean this just before he took off on his own. She had sworn at him and thought to follow but she could hear the cops behind her and decided to just go with it. She kept up the chase for a few minutes longer before skidding to a stop and turning to face the officer.

It took him a moment to catch up but when he did he stumbled to a stop, confusion on his face as he looked to her. "Give up?" he asked, pulling in several deep breaths.

"I'm not overly fond of running," she told him.

He smiled at that and reached behind him to pull out his handcuffs. "Hands behind your back, sweetheart."

She grimaced at the use of the nickname and shook her head. "I'd rather not."

"I can do it rough," he stated, seeming far too happy with that as he started towards her.

A humorless laugh left her. "So can I," she said before reaching out to press her hand to his forehead.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped to the ground like a rock.

"Asshole," she muttered, stepping over him to start in the direction Dean had ran off in. She paused for a moment to watch as the streetlights flickered off one by one.

"Charlie!" Dean's panic filled voice cut through the silence.

She took off at that, the gravel crunching under her boots as she sprinted. "Dean?!" she called, dodging through the cars and following the feeling of compression that came with Reapers. "Dean!" she called again when she spotted him on his knees in front of the Reaper, the creatures hand pressed to side of his face. Without having to concentrate she found herself standing between the two, the Reaper's arm clutched in one hand while the other reached back to pull Dean into her, keeping him from falling back.

**In nomine Domini,**

**Ego præcipio tibi prohibere!**

The Reaper leaned back at her words, his eyes trailing off to either side of her to take in her wings. _**"You are like the little one." **_

Charlie resisted the urge to shiver and gave a small nod. "I am."

"_**She has vowed to break the binding spell," **_he stated, almost sounding accusing.

"She's in the process of doing just that," she assured him, a small relief flooding through her when Dean rested a hand on her waist.

The Reaper tilted his head to the side. _**"Do you plan to stall me?"**_

Charlie nodded again. "For as long as it takes."

"_**I do not wish to harm the boy but your words can only hold me for so long," **_he told her, dropping his eyes to look down at the hand that held his arm.

She looked down as well and wasn't all that surprised to find her hand shaking. That was the problem with Reapers, the lightest touch and your body started to erode. Even with Charlie's healing she still wouldn't be able to hold onto him for very long.

"_**Winged one, I do not-" **_the Reaper cut off and looked in the direction of the tent, an actual smile pulling at his face. _**"I am free," **_he stated before disappearing.

The breath Charlie hadn't known she'd been holding escaped her as the crushing pressure disappeared. She teetered for a moment before her knees decided to give out.

Dean, having been watching her, managed to catch her before she had the chance to hit the dirt.

* * *

**Roy Le Grange's Church Tent **

**Alliance, Nebraska **

**Courtney Warren + Sam Winchester**

Tackling Sue Ann had been one of the most satisfying things Courtney has done in months. The far from smooth landing sent the cross in Sue Ann's hands skittering across the dirt. Thanks to Sam and a well-placed boot the vial of blood was shattered and the spell was broken.

"Oh God," Sue Ann sobbed pulling herself free from Courtney to crawl over to the destroyed cross. "What have you done?!"

Sam sneered down at her. "He's not your god," he stated, stepping around her to offer a hand to Courtney.

She let him pull her up, her eyes locked on the smiling Reaper that had appeared a few feet away from them. "He's not going to help you here."

Sue Ann let out a gasp when she saw the Reaper and pushed herself to her feet, her eyes wide with panic. She hesitated for a moment before turning to run, only to be stopped short with the Reaper in front of her.

With a twisted smile the Reaper pressed his hand to the side of her face.

Courtney and Sam watched as Sue Ann dropped to the ground, her skin an ash gray. She convulsed several times before going still, a clap of thunder rolling overhead.

Sam let out a sigh and looked down to Courtney. "You okay?"

She nodded and looked up to him. "I'm awesome."

He laughed. "Yeah you are. What the hell made you think to tackle her?"

She shrugged lightly. "Punching her just didn't seem like enough."

"Of course not," Sam agreed, patting her on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go find the others."

* * *

**The parking lot**

**Charlie Warren + Dean Winchester**

The Reaper had been gone for a while now but neither Hunter had made an attempt to move. Dean's arms were wrapped securely around Charlie's waist from having caught her, the woman all but sitting in his lap. Charlie had her left arm cradled to her chest, her fingers still shaking despite it being fully healed.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, sounding just as tired as she felt.

"You're the one that almost died," she mused.

He chuckled at that. "Please, I was doing fine."

She smiled at that. "Is that why you screamed my name?"

"Sweetheart, you'd know if I was screaming your name."

Charlie couldn't help the peel of laughter that left her at that. "Oh you can't say things like that," she told him. "I'm too tired to talk dirty."

He let out a hum of appreciation. "Sleep sounds awesome."

She pulled in a deep breath before pulling away from Dean and pushing herself to her feet. "Let's go get some then," she said, holding her hands out to him.

He flashed her a small smile before taking her hands and getting to his feet, not at all surprised that she was able to pull him up. A groan of pain left him once he straightened, a grimace pulling at his face. "Jesus, I'm sore," he complained.

Charlie gave him a sympathetic smile as she tilted his head so she could look at where the Reaper touched him. "You'll be sore for a few days. Reapers are like leeches; it's going to take a while for you to recoup what it took from you."

"Great," he grunted.

She patted his cheek and stepped around him. "Come on, honeybuns, we've got some z's to catch."

It was Dean's turn to laugh. "Fuck that's so cheesy," he teased.

"Shut up!"

* * *

**The Popoff Motel**

**Alliance, Nebraska**

**Charlie Warren**

Charlie pulled the Camaro into the spot beside the Impala, the headlights lighting up the motel room door. She threw the car into Park and shut off the engine. She let out a soft sigh and leaned back in her seat, the day's events finally catching up with her.

"You're going to talk to Zad, right? About Layla?"

She peeked over at Courtney. "What about Layla?"

Courtney scoffed. "Don't act like you haven't been thinking about it," she accused. "We both have."

"Then why do I have to be the one to talk to Zad?"

"Because healing people is your thing."

Charlie rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

Despite Zadkiel's teachings Courtney had never gotten the hang of healing. She just couldn't concentrate long enough to actually find the damaged cells to repair them. There was always just too much noise in the body for her to ignore.

"Fine, fine," she grumbled. "Head on inside and I'll take care of it."

Courtney smirked at that and started to gather up her stuff. "I'll tell the boys that you're talking to Godfrey or something," she decided. "Have fun."

Charlie flipped her off as Courtney climbed out of the car and all but skipped to the motel door. She waited till Courtney had slipped into the room and closed the door before grabbing her phone out of her bag and getting out of the car. Not wanting to take the chance of the Winchesters seeing her with the Angel she walked down the length of the building to the ice and vending machines. "Zadkiel, come in, Zadkiel," she deadpanned, leaning against the wall.

With a rustle of clothing he was standing before her. "Is speaking with me such a hardship?" he questioned.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, it's been a long day."

He nodded in understanding. "We'll get right to the point then. You wish to heal Layla Rourke."

"This whole thing hasn't been sitting right with any of us," she explained. "Dean in particular."

"It is a morally compromising situation," he agreed. "Fortunately for everyone healing Layla Rourke will not have a monumental effect on Heaven's plans. She is insignificant and therefore savable."

Charlie let out a humorless laugh and rolled her eyes. "There's something fucked up about that way of thinking," she muttered. "I'm not complaining, just observing," she added.

"Of course you aren't, you never complain," he mused with a pointed look.

She gave him an innocent smile. "Are you going to tell me where she is or am I going to have to scry?"

He tilted his head to the side slightly as he concentrated. "She's at the local church. The one in the center of town."

"White with stained glass windows?" she asked.

"Yes."

"I know where that is," she said, sounding almost proud of herself. "Thank you, Zad."

A warm smile spread across his face. "Of course, Charlotte. I am always here to help my most beloveds," he said, stepping forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be watching," he told her before disappearing.

"Coming from anyone else that would be really creepy," she muttered, closing her eyes and picturing the white chapel church with the stained glass windows. With a soft breeze she was standing in front of the church. Pulling the heavy wood door open she stepped in, a soft smile twitching at her lips when she spotted the holy water bowl before the pews. She dipped her fingers in and made the traditional cross before starting down the rows of pews, her eyes locked on the blonde woman praying in the front row. Charlie knelt before the alter, made another cross and took a seat on the bench, a few feet away from Layla.

"Do you know what I love the most about old churches?"

Layla startled out of her prayer and looked over. "I'm sorry?' she asked.

"The windows," Charlie answered. "There's something so soulfully beautiful about stained glass. People spend months putting them together, painstaking details that eventually wear their hands out. Such dedication for something that rarely goes rewarded."

An uneasy smile stretched across Layla's face. "I know you, don't I? From Roy's?" she asked, raising from her knees to sit on the bench. "You were with Dean and the others."

Charlie gave her a reassuring smile. "From Roy's,' she agreed. "You're Layla."

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I don't…." she trailed off, trying so hard to be polite in the awkward conversation.

"Charlotte," she introduced, holding her hand out.

Layla took it with a wider smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Charlotte."

"You as well. I'm sorry if this is a bit forward but you've been sick for a while now, haven't you?"

"Yes," she sighed, obviously used to the topic.

"Terminal, right?"

Layla cleared her throat and looked down to her hands. "The doctors have done all they can. It's in God's hands now."

Charlie pulled in a deep breath at that, physically stopping herself from making a comment. "What would you say if I told you that your prayers had been answered? Not by God, mind you, I'm more of an outside contractor, but it's technically still Heaven so-"

"Do you think this is funny?"

Charlie looked back to her at the sharp tone of her voice. "What?"

Layla looked close to tears as she glared at Charlie. "Do you think my faith is a joke?" she demanded, lurching up to her feet. "I can't believe you would do something like this after Roy healed Dean, little lone in a church. You should be ashamed of yourself," she stated before shoving past Charlie and marching down the alley of pews towards the front doors.

Charlie silently berated herself for handling the situation better and got up from the pew. "Don't be afraid, Layla," she said, her voice echoing through the church along with the sound of her wings unfurling.

Layla had turned back around just in time to watch Charlie's wing stretch to the rafters, her mouth hanging open in shock as her eyes wondered. "Oh my God," she whispered, taking a few shaky steps forward before dropping to her knees. "You're an Angel."

Charlie refrained from correcting her. "Sorry about all that," she said, gesturing back to the pew they had been sitting on. "I've never been good with approaching the subject of affirming religious beliefs. There never seems to be a subtle way of doing it."

Layla shook her head, tears running down her face. "I don't understand. Why are you here?"

"Well," she said, walking towards the kneeling woman, "if it hadn't of been for my colleges and me you would be healed tonight. Unfortunately for nearly everyone involved the manner of which you would have been healed wasn't exactly kosher. I won't get into details but you wouldn't have been okay with it," she explained, crouching before the woman, her wings folding against her back so they brushed the stone floor. "But we agreed that you still deserved to be healed."

A soft laugh left her and a smile twitched at her lips. "Y-you're going to heal me?"

Charlie nodded.

"Oh thank you!" Layla exclaimed, throwing herself forward to wrap her arms around Charlie's neck.

If it hadn't of been for her wings the pair would have fallen backwards. Charlie wound her arms around Layla, one gong securely around her waist while the other moved up to cup the back of her head. She closed her eyes and focused on the buzz of sickness that was coming off the woman.

* * *

Charlie ached in her bones by the time she made it back to the motel. Healing Layla had taken a little more out of her than she had thought it would, the whole thing leaving her a little lightheaded. Even the little flight back to the motel had her stumbling. Pulling the room key out of her jacket pocket she unlocked the door and stepped into the room, not at all surprised to find them asleep. By probably some hilarious turn of events Sam was sleeping on the couch, his feet hanging off the arm rest. Courtney was sleeping on one of the two beds, her arms and legs thrown out to the sides in something resembling a starfish. And of course Dean was passed out on the bed closest to the door, his face buried into the pillow with his shoes still on and clothes still on. She tossed her bag to the floor and moved to the bed, deftly untying Dean's shoe laces and trying as gently as she could to pull them off.

The movement woke Dean and he jerked his leg from her grasp, sitting up to point the gun he had kept under the pillow at her.

Charlie gave him an unimpressed look. "Really, honeybuns?" she asked. "I'm taking off your boots."

Dean lowered his arm as he blinked blearily at her. "Where were you?" he asked, his voice already thick with sleep.

"Phone call," she answered simply, pulling off a boot and starting on the other. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

He shook his head. "Nah, sweetheart, don't worry about it," he told her, twisting back around to put the gun back under his pillow. "You're going to have a hell of a time moving her," he stated, his attention now on Courtney.

Charlie glanced over to her and let out a soft laugh. "You're telling me," she grumbled, pulling his last boot off. "Alright, you wanna sleep in your jeans?" she asked.

Dean arched an eyebrow. "Is that your subtle way of getting my pants off?"

"Honeybuns, when I want your pants off I won't be subtle about it," she told him.

"When?"

She gave a nod. "When," she agreed. "On or off?"

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm going to preserve the image of your taking my clothes off and do it myself," he decided, flopping back against the bed to undo his pants.

Charlie rolled her eyes as she moved over to her bag and pulling out her PJ's. She slipped into the bathroom and moved through her nightly routine, scrubbing what little make-up was actually left on her face, moisturizer, brushing her teeth, and changing. When she stepped back out into the room she found that Dean and shifted over to the other side, closer to the door.

" He patted the now empty space next to him. "She isn't going to move," he stated, gesturing to Courtney.

"You wouldn't mind?" she asked, honestly a little relieved that she wouldn't have to sleep with her sister.

Dean gave her a look. "I mind as much as I did all the other times we've shared a bed."

That's all she needed to know. Throwing the covers back she climbed in and dropped back against the pillows. She craned her arm up to turn off the table lamp they had left on for her before turning on her side towards him, the covers now pulled up to her shoulders. "Dean Winchester, you just cheated death, now what are you going to do?"

A bark of laughter left him at that. "I'm going to Disneyland."

Charlie laughed with him, burying her face into her pillow to keep quiet. "Do I get to come?"

"Course, I'm bringing the whole family."

Her smile softened at that, even the thought of Dean considering her and Courtney family was endearing. "I'm glad you didn't die, Dean. Have I told you that yet?"

His smile turned a little uneasy. "Uh, no, no you haven't."

"Well, Dean Winchester," she started, shifting against the mattress so she could raise her hands to cup his face, "I'm you didn't die," she told him, pulling his head down so she could kiss his forehead. "Despite the fact that you're a stubborn ass."

A humorless laugh left him as he ducked his head closer to her. "Gee, make a man feel special," he muttered.

She pulled in a deep breath, the smell of leather polish and gunpowder filling her lungs. "I mean it though. I really am glad you didn't die."

"So am I," he murmured. "Listen, Charlie, what you and your sister did, helping me and Sam, I just-" he cut off with a sigh. "You didn't have to and I….."

"The words you're looking for are 'thank' and 'you'," she supplied, far too amused with the whole thing.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," she murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Just don't do it again."

His laughter was muffled this time. "I'll try not to, sweetheart."

* * *

**May 1****st****, 2006**

**The Popoff Motel**

**Alliance, Nebraska**

**Courtney Warren and Sam Winchester**

In all the years that Courtney's been traveling with Charlie she's never found her in bed with a man. When Charlie did indulge in a little sin of the flesh she always made sure to keep it away from her sister, something the youngest Warren was appreciative of. This morning, however, she woke to find her sister practically on top of Dean. She stood at the foot of the bed in mild surprise for a few minutes before smiling softly and pulling out her phone. Several pictures later and a giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach she all but ran to Sam to wake him up.

"What?" he asked, suddenly alert as he lifted himself off the couch.

Courtney pressed her finger to her lips and nodded over to the bed.

Sam's brow furrowed before he shuffled over, his hand coming up to muffle the laugh that left him when he saw the pair. "How did that happen?" he asked, looking back to Courtney.

She shook her head as she walked over. "I have no idea," she answered. "I was out by the time she got back."

"I knew they were friends but…" Sam trailed off.

"Right?" Courtney questioned, stopping at the foot of the bed once again, her arms crossing over her chest. "Think they're canoodling behind out backs?"

Another laugh left Sam as his head jerked down to look at her. "Canoodling?"

She gave an easy shrug. "It seemed more eloquent than 'fucking'."

"Jesus," he gasped out, nodding his head. "No, uh, I don't think they're canoodling behind our backs."

"Yeah," Courtney agreed reluctantly. "I can always tell when Charlie's keeping something from me. Still though, you gotta admit that there's something there neither of them are fessing up to."

Sam couldn't deny that. Whenever they came off a hunt with the Warren's it took days for Dean to stop retelling or laughing at something Charlie had said. "There's definitely something there," he agreed.

Courtney shook her head. "She freaked out after you called about Dean," she told him. "Started yelling about how she had told him to be careful. I guess they call each other pretty regularly."

"Yeah, I've caught the tail end of some of their conversations."

"And their nicknames for each other?" she asked, looking back up at him. "Sweetheart and honeybuns?"

He chuckled at that and shook his head. "Do you really see them admitting anything?"

Courtney let out a scoff. "Hell no. They're going to be neck deep in it before they even realize what's happened," she mused. "Sad really but what can we do?"

Sam opted to sigh as an answer.

"Are you hungry?" she suddenly asked. "They're not going to wake up anytime soon, we might as well enjoy our morning."

"I could eat," he answered.

* * *

**The Popoff Motel **

**Alliance, Nebraska**

**Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester**

Dean woke face down on the mattress with an unfamiliar weight on his back. He pulled his face from the pillow and craned his neck around to look back. There was a slight moment of panic for Dean when he saw the blonde head of hair resting in the middle of his back, the man struggling to remember going to a bar and brining someone back. After a little more waking up Dean realized that he was a complete moron. Charlie laid on her stomach, her head on his back with her right arm wrapped around him, her hand pressed between his chest and the mattress while her leg was hitched around his.

Charlie pulled in a deep breath and shifted against him, her fingers crawling higher up his chest till they were squeezing his pec.

"You better be asleep," he stated, his voice thick with sleep.

"And if I'm not?"

"They you're asking for it, sweetheart," he told her despite making no effort to move.

Charlie let out a small laugh but pulled her hand back all the same. "What time is it?"

Dean let out a grunt as he raised his head again to peer at the nightstand. "It's almost ten," he answered, moving his arm under himself to push up.

Charlie let out a disapproving groan as his movement shifted her. "I don't want to get up," she complained.

A smile twitched at his lips as he looked back to her. "I'm just going to bathroom, calm down," he told her. "But you're gonna have to get off me."

"Why do you hate me?" she asked before rolling herself onto her back.

Dean's smile grew. "Your life is so tragic," he told her, pulling himself from the sheets and shuffling towards the bathroom.

Charlie perked up as she watched him walk by. "Boxer briefs?"

He paused at that, glancing down before looking back to her. "What about 'em?"

She shook her head with a wide smile. "Nothing. You look good in them, honeybuns," she praised, shooting him a wink.

He straightened up at that, his smile returning. "Well thanks," he said, continuing on his way to the bathroom.

Charlie stretched out against the bed once the bathroom door closed, several of her joints popping as she did so. She pushed herself up and rubbed her hands across her eyes, frowning when she saw black smudges of her eyeliner on her fingers. "Shit," she grumbled, rubbing under her eyes in vain to clear up whatever she had just done to her face.

"D'you think they're going to bring us back food?" Dean wondered as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"Probably," Charlie answered. "Do I have black stuff on my face?" she asked, tilting her head back for him to see.

Dean cocked an eyebrow at that and walked over to the bed, reaching his hands up to cup her face so he could rub his thumbs across her cheeks. "Just a few spots," he told her.

"God, this make-up is from Thursday," she realized, a groan leaving her.

"Well, a lots happened since Thursday," he mused, rubbing a streak of black away from the corner of her eye. "I mean, you've been keeping my sorry ass alive."

Charlie let out a hum, her eyes slipping closed. "I wouldn't really say it's sorry," she denied. "I would go as far to say that it's unapologetic."

A bark of laughter left him at that. "I've never heard that before," he stated.

"And that is a shame," she stated before pulling in a deep breath and falling back onto the bed. "I wonder if Godfrey was able to get my Shape Shifter skin," she muttered.

"I'm sorry," Dean said, waving his hand. "Shape Shifter skin?"

"Mhmm. I'm trying to create a genetic band aid using the molecular structure of Shape Shifter skin," she explained. "I'm stuck on triggering the skin to copy the hosts DNA, but with more testing I should be able to figure it out."

He opened and closed his mouth several times as he struggled to think of something to say. "That's-that's really…." He trailed off.

Charlie raised her head. "That's usually where Court calls me a nerd," she supplied.

"No," he said, snapping out of his daze. "No, it's not a bad thing. I've just never thought of that before, but, uh, I'm not surprised that you did. Not after the whole Wendigo thing."

Charlie watched him for a moment. "You don't think it's weird?"

He nodded his head to the side. "I mean, yeah, it's a little weird," he admitted, "but it's you so it's okay."

Her smile twitched at that. "Thanks, Dean," she said, the sincerity in her voice surprising.

Confusion and concern swept through Dean at that, his instinct to ask her if she was okay getting cut off by the motel door opening.

"Good morning, sleepy heads!" Courtney exclaimed as she and Sam stepped in. "We come baring food."

"What'd you get me?" Charlie asked, not even bothering to sit up as she held her hand out.

Courtney rolled her eyes as she reached into the bag. "Breakfast burrito and orange juice," she answered, holding the tin fouled wrapped food out to her.

"Love you, sis," she said, taking it from her.

Sam smiled at that and walked over to Charlie, pulling the to-go cup of orange juice from the holder. "Here you go, Charlie," he said.

"I would say 'I love you too' but seeing as we barely know each other and I don't want to make you uncomfortable I'll go with 'I appreciate you'," she told him, taking a grateful sip from her drink.

A startled laugh left him. "Uh, thanks," he said, nodding his head to the side. "I appreciate you too."

"What about me?" Dean asked, looking expectantly to Courtney.

"Going off of recent events I would say 'I value you as a person'," Charlie said, her attention on unwrapping her burrito. "While that doesn't necessarily cover everything I don't want to make you uncomfortable so we'll just stick with that," she rambled before taking a large bite and looking up to the others. She paused chewing when she found them watching her intently, looks of amusement on their faces. "Wha'?"

Dean cleared his throat. "I, uh, I was asking about my food," he explained, pointing to the white bag in Courtney's hand.

Charlie looked between him and the bag before giving them a sour face. "Screw you," she said, raising a leg to jam her foot against Dean's side, her two digging into his ribs.

Dean practically threw himself off the bed with a yelp, his body twisting around so he could smack her foot away. "Dammit, Charlie!" he snapped.

She gave him a pleased smile before taking another bite.

Dean glared at her and moved to go after her but stopped when Courtney held the white back in front of him.

"You got the same thing as Charlie but with coffee," she told him.

His face brightened at that and took the bag. "Thanks, Tweety," he said before wondering off to the small table in the corner.

She let out a huff at that and took Dean's vacated seat on the bed. "Wanna tell 'em the good news, Sam?" she prompted.

"Right," he said, a certain excitement coming over him. "We saw Layla."

Charlie looked to Dean for his reaction.

The older Winchester spared a glance to his brother, his jaw flexing slightly. "Yeah?"

Sam nodded, his smile growing wider. "She was at the dinner with her mother," he explained. "She recognized us and came over. Guess what she told us?"

"What?" Dean asked, sounding rather unamused by the whole thing.

Sam walked over and took the seat across from his brother, a sincere look on his face. "Her tumors gone."

Dean nearly dropped his food as he looked up to his brother, shock slapping him across the face. "What? How?"

"Get this," he started, "she said that an Angel visited her in the church last night and healed her."

"What?" Dean demanded.

Courtney shot her sister a look. "Her mom thought it was the tumor getting worse and took her to the hospital," she said. "Turns out that Layla was right-at least about the tumor. It's gone and the doctors are calling it a miracle."

"You're shitting me," Dean said, sounding far from convinced.

She shook her head.

"God works in mysterious ways," Charlie said, taking another bite. "Whatever the fuck that means."

"How you haven't been struck by lightning yet is beyond me," Courtney told her.

Charlie smiled at that, awfully glad that Layla's mind had taken well to her memory altercations. Some people were just subconsciously resilient to such things. "At least something good came out of this fucked up situation," she mused. "I'm sure all of us are relieved that Layla's death isn't hanging over our heads anymore."

A silent agreement passed between the four hunters. None of them would admit it but the act of stopping Sue Ann had felt like a death sentence for Layla. A death sentence that they hand delivered.

Dean was the first to break the silence. "Well, good for her," he said, nodding his head to the side. "It's freaky and a little troubling but good for her."

"Really? That's it?" Sam asked, giving his brother a confused look. "You don't want to look into this?"

Dean shrugged as he took a bite of his food. "Reaper's gone, Sue Ann's dead, Roy can't heal anyone anymore," he listed off. "I don't see how it has anything to do with our hunt. Do you?"

Sam looked to Charlie and Courtney for their opinion.

"Medical miracle," they answered together.

He accepted that with a small nod. "Alright," he allowed.

Charlie let out a relief filled sigh at that, glad that neither of the men were going to dig further into it. "Changing the subject," she stated, attempting to keep her tone light. "While you were out and about did you find a-"

"There's a do-it-yourself carwash on Main Street," Courtney cut in.

"Yes!" Charlie exclaimed. "I'm going to change and then my handsome man is getting a washing," she said, practically throwing herself off the bed.

"Not that I'm complaining, sweetheart, but if you're going to wash me I'd prefer it in a shower," Dean stated, smirking over at her.

She laughed at that. "Oh, honeybuns, I swore off shower sex years ago," she told him, digging through her bag for fresh clothes.

"There's a story behind that," he almost accused, chewing obnoxiously as he watched her.

She let out a sigh. "It's not the prettiest story," she told them.

"Oh this is going to be good," Dean said, twisting around in his seat so he was facing her.

Charlie flipped him of. "I had picked him up in this little dive bar the night before and-"

"What was his name again?" Courtney asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

Charlie let out a frustrated sigh, her jaw clenching. "I never asked him," she answered.

Sam snorted at that. "You didn't ask him his name?"

"He was the spitting image of young Marlon Brando, Sam," she defended, giving him a pointed look. "I didn't really give a fuck what his name was."

"I've been there," Dean agreed with a nod of his head.

Charlie looked to him in surprise, a smile on her face. "Right, so, I wake up the next morning and he's standing stark naked in front of the bathroom mirror messing with his hair and I thought 'that bastard'," she said, shaking her head. "I'll spare you the details but we end up going at it in the shower, and he picks me up but his foot goes out from under him and we fall. There we were, sprawled out on the bathroom floor, the shower curtain torn down, my wrist shattered and his-well, it's not technically a bone but it, uh, it broke."

Both men paled.

"You don't mean his…."

Charlie nodded.

"Oh my God," Sam muttered.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Dean stated, his hand reaching down to place a protective hand over himself.

"Yeah, try explaining that to a seventy-year-old ER nurse."

Courtney frowned. "That's not how you told me that story," she accused. "There was a lot more detail."

Charlie nodded her head to the side. "Yeah, but neither of them want to hear about how good of a fuck what's-his-name was," she pointed out. "They wanted to know why I don't have shower sex anymore. Different reasons for telling the story."

"Hm, I guess," she allowed before waving her off. "Go get dressed so you can de-funk the love of your life."

Dean pulled out of his stupor. "I take offense to that," he stated. "Nothing about me is funky."

Charlie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you wish, honeybuns," she said as she disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

**I no longer have any concept of time when it comes to updates. You have no idea how long I've been struggling with this chapter and honestly I cut it short cause I'm so done with it. **

**Also, looking back on previous chapters I've found that I made the mistake of thinking that the girls drive a Mustang. Despite it explicitly saying Camaro in the content itself the headers say Mustang. Obviously I have no idea what I'm writing about and I want to apologize for any confusion I have caused. There is a Mustang in the story but it's Nathan's and not the girls so it'll show up later on. **

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what y'all think! **

**Reviews=Love!**

**~Alya Kihaku **


	10. Route 666

**May 13th, 2006**

**Godfrey's House**

**Worcester, Massachusetts**

**Charlie and Courtney Warren **

"When was the last time you ate?"

Charlie looked up from her microscope to find her sister standing in the doorway, a tray of food clutched in her hands. She pursed her lips at that, a little amused that her sister was still trying to feed her. "This morning," she answered.

Courtney raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What did you eat?"

She hesitated. "Toast."

"Toast?"

"Toast."

Courtney let out a sigh and stepped into the room, maneuvering around the work tables till she reached the one Charlie was at. "Toast isn't a meal, Charlie," she chastised, shoving a pile of books aside to set the tray down. "It's a side."

Charlie rolled her eyes. "You should be glad that I ate at all," she muttered.

"Yeah, I guess," she agreed with a sigh. "Well, I made you a sandwich so you're going to eat it," she told her.

"Thanks, sis," she said, looking back into the microscope. "I'll eat it later."

Courtney let out a scoff. "I haven't fallen for that in years," she stated, reaching over to pull a stool over. "I'm going to stay here till you eat it all."

Charlie let out a sigh and turned her attention to her sister. "If you're going to stay I'm going to talk at you," she warned. "You up for that?"

"When am I not?" she asked, snatching the apple off the tray and taking a bite. "How's it going? You getting close?"

Her sister shrugged. "I don't know if I'm close but I'm further than I was before," she answered, slumping back once again to rub a hand across her eyes. "I've figured out that it's a neurological stimuli that triggers the DNA change. So I have to figure out a work around for that which I have no idea how to do," she said, picking the sandwich up off the plate. "I hate science," she grumbled before taking a large bite.

"What about an electrical stimuli?" Courtney suggested. "Like a jump start?"

Charlie chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "I suppose I could run an electrical current through the skin to stimulate it," she mused. "It's gotta be the same percentage that the body gives off but….." she trailed off.

Courtney smirked at that, a little proud that she had thought of it. "So I was thinking that….." she trailed off as she looked her sister over, her brow furrowing as she noticed how baggy Charlie's shirt was. "Is that….is that Dad's shirt?" she asked, knowing that she had seen it somewhere before.

Charlie glanced down at the army green button up shirt she was wearing and cleared her throat. "No. No, it's not Dad's," she asked, turning away from her sister to mess with the slides.

Courtney struggled to place the shirt for a moment longer before letting out a gasp. "That's Dean's shirt!" she exclaimed, pointing to it. "Why do you have Dean's shirt?!"

Charlie shifted uncomfortably on her stool. "I accidently grabbed it when I packed," she explained. "His shit was all over the bathroom, it's a miracle I didn't grab more."

An elated smile was now spread across the younger girl's face. "Okay, but why are you wearing it?" she pressed.

Charlie opted to take a bite of her sandwich as answer, purposely looking anywhere but at Courtney.

"Oh my God," she said with a giddy laugh.

"Shut up, Courtney," Charlie warned.

"You like him~" she sing songed. "You want to kiss him~"

Charlie let a laugh. "Been there, done that," she snarked before she could catch herself.

Courtney let out another gasp. "What? When did that happen?" she demanded, reaching out to smack her sister's shoulder. "Give me details! Who kissed who first and where? Why?"

Charlie let out a frustrated sigh. "Courtney-"

"I'm not going to leave you alone till you tell me what happened."

Charlie resisted the urge to push Courtney off the stool and pulled in a deep breath. "It was in Burkittsville," she answered. "Before they took us to the orchard they kept us in a cellar and….." she trailed off, shaking her head.

"And….?"

"And I kissed him," Charlie continued. "I kissed him and used some stupid line."

"What line?"

"'I wasn't going to die without doing that at least once'," she quoted.

Courtney chortled. "Oh, that is bad."

"Yeah, okay but he used it when we were at Roy's," she defended, finally looking to her sister.

"He kissed you at Roy's?" Courtney asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

Charlie nodded. "When we first got there and he told you and Sam to save us seats. He kissed me and said 'I wasn't going to die without doing that at least once'."

Courtney sucked her lips in as she looked to her sister with excitement.

Charlie glared at her. "I told you what happened. Drop it," she said, pointing a finger at her before taking a bite. "I'm eating your sandwich, I told you what happened, what more do you want from me?" she asked around her mouthful of food.

Courtney all but vibrated in her chair as she watched her sister. She considered pressing Charlie for more details but she knew that it wouldn't end well for either of them if she did. "Okay, okay, I'll stop," she allowed. "But, uh, it's awesome. That you guys did that."

"Shut the fuck up, Courtney."

* * *

**Godfrey's House**

**Worcester, Massachusetts**

**Courtney Warren and Godfrey **

**Summertime, and the livin' is easy**

**Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high**

**Oh, your daddy's rich and you ma is good-lookin'**

**So hush little baby, don't you cry**

Courtney sang along to the record player as she moved about the kitchen, her hair now tied up in a high bun. It had been awhile since she had made her grandmother's spaghetti sauce and much to her annoyance it took her longer to remember all the ingredients than she would have liked. Thankfully making the pasta had gone far more smoothly.

**One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing**

**And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky**

**But 'til that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you**

**With Daddy and Mammy standin' by**

Stirring the pan filled with simmering red sauce she swayed back and forth. Tapping the spoon clean she put it back in the cradle and checked on the pot of water, throwing another pinch of salt into it when she found that it wasn't boiling.

**Summertime, and the livin' is easy**

**Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high**

**Oh, your daddy's rich and you ma is good-lookin'**

**So hush little baby, don't you cry**

Turning away from the stove she all but skipped over to the racks of drying pasta. She looked the rows over before pinching one of them to check the firmness.

**One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing**

**And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky**

**But 'til that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you**

**With Daddy and Mammy standin' by**

"Yer mother loved tha' song."

She resisted the urge to jump and simply turned to looked to the man standing in the doorway. "It's not nice to sneak up on people, Godfrey."

The Scotsman smiled at that. "I wasn't sneakin', darlin'," he denied. "You were jus' too skippy to notice me."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Skippy? I'm pretty sure that's not a word."

"'s a word," he said, sauntering into the kitchen. "Is tha' yer mothers spaghetti sauce?" he questioned, pointing to the pan as he walked over. He leaned over the stove and pulled in a deep breath, a hum of appreciation leaving him. "It smells wonderful, darlin'," he praised.

She couldn't help but smile at that. "Why thank you. I've been slaving over a hot stove all day," she said, putting on a flippant tone.

He chuckled and turned back to her. "How are you, my darlin'?" he asked. "We haven' rally had much time to converse."

"Is that your subtle way of telling me that there's something we need to talk about?" she questioned with an arched eyebrow.

He tilted his head to the side. "Possibly. I guess I have more of a question than a direct topic," he allowed.

She leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. "Shoot."

He mimicked her stance. "These Winchester boys, are they…." he trailed off. "What are they-are they like-"

"Are they like John?" she cut in.

Godfrey grimaced. "Yes?"

"Do you really think that if they were anything like John Charlie would be so infatuated?" she demanded, giving him a pointed look.

Surprise swept across his face. "Infatuated? Charlie? No!"

Courtney nodded. "Oh yeah. With Dean," she gossiped. "Apparently they've kissed a couple of times."

"Really? Why didn' she say anythin'?"

She scoffed. "It's Charlie. Did you really expect her to gush about it? She is wearing one of his shirts though."

Godfrey shook his head as he wrapped his mind around that. "I never would have expected that in a million years," he mused, a small laugh leaving him. "Wha' abou' you? And the other boy?"

Courtney smiled at the thought of the tallest Winchester. "Sam. He's, uh, he's surprisingly easy to get along with," she explained. "And before you ask, no, there isn't anything going on between us."

He nodded in understanding. "Right, right, because of his girlfriend."

She had almost forgotten that she had told him about that. "Yeah, his girlfriend," she agreed. "He's handling it surprisingly well-well, as far as I can tell, but he is a Winchester so you never really know with them," she mused, biting her lip as she thought. "Though I feel like he's a lot more evolved than Dean and John. At least he talks about things."

Godfrey giggled at that. "Well, next time you see them invite them around," he told her. "I'd love to meet them."

"You?" she asked with a scoff. "You want people to come here?"

"Ooooh! Am I Miss. Havisham now?" he asked, shifting into a feminine stance and pressing the back of his hand to his forehead. "Don' I look so beautiful in my weddin' dress and my lovely shoe?" he asked, sticking a leg out to wiggle his foot about. "I wan' you to invite those boys here so I can teach you how to break their hearts!"

"Remind me, Godfrey, how long were you in the theatre?"

He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye. "Three days," he answered.

She let out a snort of laughter. "It shows," she told him.

"Everybody's a critic," he dismissed, dropping his stance. "Will you invite them of not?"

"I'll mention it next time we see them," she placated him. "Now, would you do the favor of getting Charlie? Dinners almost ready and I want her to eat."

"Of course, darlin'," he said, pushing off the counter. "Where is she?"

"Where do you think?"

"Right."

* * *

**Godfrey's House **

**Worcester, Massachusetts**

**Charlie Warren**

After their family style dinner Charlie found herself in the library. She was seated in her favorite armchair with medical books surrounding her, the one in her hand labeled 'On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies'. She was half way through the book and still not sure how she was going to apply it to the Shapeshifter skin issue.

"That doesn't make any fucking sense," she muttered, squinting at the page. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Her confusion was interrupted by the ring of her phone, her hand reaching out blindly to grab the offending object off the side table.

"Charlie Warren," she answered absently.

"I need some advice."

She looked up from her book at that, a smile stretching across her face at the sound of Dean's voice. "A Winchester is willingly asking for help?" she teased. "Hell must be having a snow day."

Dean let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, this was a bad idea. Sorry I bothered you."

"No! No, Dean, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. What is it?" she asked, shifting in the chair to sit up a little straighter.

He was quiet for a moment. "Have you ever told anyone the secret?"

"You're going to have to be a little more specific," she told him.

"You know. The secret," he said. "The one about what we do. About monsters and hunting."

"Oooh, that secret," she mused, slumping back into the chair and looking to the fire. "Yeah, I mean, sometimes there are hunts that you have to-"

"No. Not for a hunt," he interrupted, sounding annoyed. "Have you ever told the secret to someone….not involved in a hunt but with you?"

"Involved as in romantically?" she questioned.

"Yes."

"Oh," she said, a little surprised at that. Dean didn't really strike her as a 'romantically involved' kind of guy. "Uh, no, outside of a hunt I've never had to tell anyone, at least, anyone who didn't already know," she told him. "Have you….told anyone?"

"Cassie," he all but sighed out. "We, uh, we dated a few years ago and….." he trailed off in hesitation.

"And you told her," she finished.

"Yeah."

"I'm guessing she didn't take it well?"

He barked out a laugh. "She broke up with me."

Charlie grimaced at the angst in his voice. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

Charlie would be lying if she said she wasn't awkward. "So, uh," she started, clearing her throat, "since you're talking about her, did something happen?"

He let out another sigh. "She called me yesterday," he explained. "Her dad was killed and it, uh, it freaked her out enough that she called me. She wouldn't have called me if something wasn't wrong," he said more to himself than to her.

A small smile twitched at her lips at his concern. "That's terrible about her dad. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, yeah. It's, uh, something unnatural," he answered before clearing his throat. "But that isn't what I need advice on."

"You want advice on how to handle being around her again, right?"

"How did you-"

"There's only one reason why you would tell her the secret, Dean," she interrupted. "You loved her."

Dean chose not to answer.

"She broke your heart, honeybuns, there's no denying that," she stated, putting as much softness into her voice as she dared.

"I'm over it," he grunted out.

"Are you? I don't think you'd be calling me for advice if you were," she challenged.

He went quiet again.

"I can't help you if you don't talk to me," Charlie reminded him, starting to get a little pissed off. After all the things they had been through in the past months she thought that they had moved passed him holding things back from her.

"I've-" he cut off when his voice cracked. "I've never talked about this with…with anyone," he admitted. "I didn't even tell my dad about her."

That didn't really surprise her. Dean had a history with being silent about traumatic events. "Well, you can talk about it with me. You know you can."

He pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I thought…I thought she would understand," he said, his voice going a little softer. "She was always bugging me about what my dad and I did, and some of the things we talked about I thought she would understand."

"You trusted her."

"I trusted her a lot more than I should have," he agreed.

"Don't say that," she chastised. "You should never regret opening yourself up to someone you love."

"What about when that someone betrays you?"

"Is that what you see it as?" she questioned, not really surprised.

"I don't see it as anything, Charlie, that's what it is," he argued.

Charlie let out a sigh. "Then, I guess the only thing left to do is take revenge."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Well, when someone betrays you revenge is usually what comes next. She broke your heart, Dean, she betrayed your trust. Don't you want revenge for that?" she asked, throwing some conviction into her tone.

Dean was quiet for a moment. "Why do I feel like this is a trap?" he questioned, the suspicion clear in his voice.

Charlie smiled at that, relieved that he knew her well enough to pick up on that. "Because it is," she answered. "You obviously don't have any ill intentions towards her. Just hurt feelings."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means talk to her," she told him, slipping her bookmark into the book and setting it onto the side table. "You're angry and hurt and that's not going away till you resolve things with her."

He let out a long sigh. "I don't know if I can do that."

"You can hunt ghosts, poltergeists, and all the other monsters but you can't have a conversation with a woman?" she asked, teasing in her voice. "I find that hard to believe, honeybuns."

"Where would I even start?"

"'Hi, Cassie' sounds good," she suggested. "She's probably expecting this conversation so it won't come as a surprise to her. It might not be the most pleasant conversation you've ever had but it'll resolve things."

"I never thought I would see her again," he stated absently. "I really didn't."

A strange pang shot thought Charlie at that, her bottom lip catching between her teeth. "Do you….still love her?"

Dean let out a weak laugh. "Sweetheart, I haven't loved her since she told me it was over."

A part of her didn't believe him. "This probably won't mean anything but I hope it goes okay."

"Why wouldn't it mean anything?"

Charlie shrugged despite him being unable to see it. "I don't know. Sorry. It's been a long day," she dismissed with a roll of her eyes.

"You okay? Did Godfrey get your Shapeshifter skin?" he asked, a more chipper tone to his voice.

She hummed at that. "Yeah, I'm okay," she assured her. "Godfrey found me a rather disturbing amount of skin to work with so I've been busy."

"Have you made any progress? You said you couldn't get the skin to replicate the DNA?" he asked with uncertainty.

"Yeah," she answered with a chuckle. "I still haven't quite figured it out but Courtney suggested using an electrical charge, so I'm looking into the body's natural electrical impulses."

"The nervous system?"

"I was trying to sound smart but you ruined it," she told him.

He actually laughed at that. "Sorry 'bout that. If it's any consolation you always sound smart."

"Now you're making me sound like a nerd."

"I ain't making you anything, sweetheart, you are a nerd," he stated good-naturedly. "It's actually pretty awesome."

Charlie smiled at that. "Thanks. My genius is rarely praised."

"Alright, rein it in," he chuckled. "You're not that smart."

She scoffed. "Screw you, I'm a fucking genius and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, sweetheart," he said dismissively. "Listen, I'm, uh, I'm gonna take your advice and talk to her."

"That's good," she said, albeit a little disappointed that their conversation was going to end. "Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"Sure," he agreed. "I'll talk to you later."

"TTFN."

"What?"

"Ta-ta for now?" she explained. "Tiger? From Winnie the Pooh?"

He let out a snort of laughter. "God, you're so weird," he muttered. "Goodbye, sweetheart."

"Bye, honeybuns," she said before the line went dead.

* * *

**FILLER~!**

**Hope y'all like it. Leave me some reviews with domestic things you would like to see the girls doing in the future! Or anything else you would like to see! **

**Reviews=Love**

**~Alya Kihaku**


	11. The Benders Part 1

**June 6th, 2006**

**Duluth, Minnesota**

**Anchor Bar &amp; Grill**

**Charlie Warren**

"Sláinte," Charlie said before throwing back her shot of whiskey and slamming the glass back onto the bar. "Can I get another?" she requested, gesturing to the bartender.

He nodded with a smile and filled the shot glass. "Rough night or are you celebrating?"

Charlie smiled back. "Let's go with both," she told him, pulling the glass back towards her and swallowing it down.

"Oh yeah?" he inquired, making an attempt to be subtle.

"Mhmm," she mused as she thought of what she could tell him. "I just closed a case at work."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Case? So, do you work for the police or something?"

"FBI," she supplied, reaching into her jacket to pull out her badge. "Special Agent Julia Monroe, at your service."

"Wow," he said as he leaned forward to get a closer look. "Monroe? Like Marilyn Monroe?"

Charlie's smile dropped slightly, a little disappointed that he focused more on the name than the title. "Yep, just like Marilyn," she agreed, flipping it closed and putting it back. "So, you know my name but I don't know yours."

"Where are my manners?" she asked before holding his hand out. "Mitch Tyler?"

"Tyler?" she questioned, grabbing hold of his hand. "Like Steven Tyler?"

His smile dropped slightly with embarrassment, well aware of how terrible that line had been. "Yeah."

She was admittedly a little proud of herself. "Do you think you could make me a-" she cut off when her phone went off. She let out a sigh as she pulled it out and checked the caller ID. A wide smile stretched across her face when she saw the name. "Excuse me," she told Mitch before spinning around on the bar stool and answering. "Hey, honeybuns."

_"Sammy's gone!" _

Dean's panicked voice had her on alert. She turned back to the bar, slapped down a ten dollar bill and started towards the door. "Alright, just take a deep breath and tell me what happened," she told him, weaving her way through the crowd of people.

Dean did just that, loudly pulling in a deep breath and letting it out. _"We were leaving the bar and I went to the bathroom and when I got outside the keys were by Baby and Sammy was gone," _he explained. _"Charlie, no one's seen him. I've asked everyone." _

"Where are you?" she questioned, pushing through the front door and out into the parking lot.

_"Kugels Keg in Hibbing, Minnesota," _he answered, his voice starting to even out.

She stopped short. "I'm in Duluth."

He was quiet for a moment. _"Seriously?" _

"Yeah," she said, shrugging it off and continuing forward. "Listen, I can be there in an hour and I'll help you find him, okay?"

_"Okay," _he said, his voice a little soft. _"Charlie, what am I going to do?"_

"We'll find him, Dean, I promise," she assured him. "Hang tight, okay? I'll see you in a little bit."

_"Thanks, sweetheart." _

* * *

**Kugels Keg**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester **

Dean paced in front of the bar, his head bowed and his hands shoved into his jacket pockets. Ever since he had gotten off the phone with Charlie his anxiety had somewhat quieted, the reassurance that he wasn't on his own in this calming him down. For what felt like the thirtieth time he pulling his phone out to check the time, debating whether or not to call Charlie and see where she was. His thumb was hovering over the Call button when the roar of an engine caught his attention. He watched as a black motorcycle pulling into the parking lot and came to a stop a few feet from him. His worry was momentarily replaced with surprise when the rider removed their helmet and familiar blonde hair tumbled down their shoulders.

"Charlie?" he found himself asking.

She looked over to him as she killed the engine and climbed off, her helmet hanging off the handle bars as she walked towards him. "Have you heard anything?"

And just like that Dean's anxiety was back. "No."

Her frown deepened at that, her arms wrapping around his neck once she was close enough to him.

Dean didn't hesitate to hug her back, his face dropping to bury into her shoulder as he pulled in several deep breaths.

"We'll find him," she assured him, running her hand up and down his back. "I mean, he's seven feet tall how hard could it be?"

He barked out a laugh before pulling away from her. "So, uh, where's the Camaro?"

"Massachusetts."

"And Courtney?"

"Scotland."

He looked to her in surprise. "Seriously?"

She waved him off. "I'll explain later," she told him. "Tell me about the hunt."

Dean glanced back at the people ambling out of the bar and shook his head. "You know what, there's a motel five miles back. You can look through everything we've found."

* * *

**Sota Motel**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester**

Charlie let out a frustrated sigh and slumped back in her chair. "So, John marked the town for possible Phantom activities, there's lore about Phantom's, and the town has the highest missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state," she summarized.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, dropping down into the seat next to her and holding out a beer.

She took it with an appreciative nod. "So are we banking on a Phantom taking him or do you think it's something else?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," he answered. "I want to say Phantom but something doesn't feel right to me."

She nodded in agreement and twisted the cap off the beer. "Usually Phantoms make the air around them hard to breath. The effect takes a day to wear off. I didn't get that in the parking lot, did you?"

He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, nothing like that."

She hummed as she took a gulp from her beer. "There's a species of Phantom that don't have that trait but they're indigenous to Asia..." she trailed off. "It could be something other than Phantoms."

Dean ran a hand across his face. "I don't care what it is as long as we get Sam back," he grumbled.

Charlie scooted to the edge of her chair and reached out to run her fingers through his hair, remembering how it had calmed him down before. "Sam's a great Hunter, he'll keep himself safe till we can get to him," she assured him, her voice soft.

He leaned into her hand as he grimaced. "I shouldn't have let him out of my sight."

"There's absolutely no way you could have known this was going to happen," she told him. "This isn't something you worry about happening, it's something that blindsides you. You can't blame yourself for this."

His jaw clenched at that. "He's my responsibility, Charlie. I'm supposed to keep him safe.

Charlie bit down on her bottom lip to keep a few choice words about John from coming out. Instead, she pulled in a calming breath and brought her other hand up to thread through his hair. "Do you trust me?"

He seemed surprised by the questioned and let out a small laugh. "Course I do."

"We're going to find Sam" she stated, her tone leaving no room to argue, "and we're going to get whatever took him."

Dean swallowed at that and glanced off to the side, his tongue running over his bottom lip before drawing it in between his teeth.

Charlie's eyes dropped down to watch his mouth, her own lips parting as she pulled in a steadying breath. Her thumbs ran across his cheekbones absentmindedly, the touch getting him to look back at her. She blinked lazily and pulled her eyes away from his lips, twitching in surprise when she found him watching her. Knowing that none of this would help the situation she gave him a soft smile, squeezed his jaw slightly before letting go. "Did you want to go out looking for him?" she questioned, pushing herself from her chair and walking over to the bed she had thrown her bag onto.

He snapped out of whatever daze he had been in and twisted around to look at her. "Uh, yeah," he answered. "I-I know it might not get us anywhere but-"

"You won't be able to sleep anyways," she interrupted with a knowing tone. "We might as well make use of the time," she mused, unzipping the bag and pulling out the black sweatshirt she had stashing in it. "D'you mind if I take a shower before we go?"

"Woah, woah, 'we'?" he asked, getting up from the chair. "Sweetheart, I'm not going to make you go with me. It's past midnight and you just got off a hunt. Stay here and get some sleep."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Dean-"

He shook his head. "No arguing. Just because I can't sleep doesn't mean you shouldn't. One of us needs to be bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning," he said, attempting to make light of the situation.

Charlie smiled despite herself. "How about a compromise?"

He raised an eyebrow but gestured to her. "Let's hear it."

She turned to face him as she crossed her arms. "Since there is a possibility of this being a Phantom splitting up wouldn't be smart," she stated. "I'll go with you but I'll sleep in the car."

"You can do that?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look.

"That's insulting."

"Alright, but only if you actually sleep," he told her, pointing a threatening finger at her. "I don't want to hear you complaining about being tired tomorrow."

Charlie scoffed. "Because I'm the one who complains," she pointed out, waving her sweatshirt at him. "Can I still shower? I was taking out a nest of Ghouls about three hours ago."

Dean grimaced at that and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, course you can shower," he answered. "You don't have to ask me."

She gave a shrug and started for the bathroom. "Just being polite," she mused.

* * *

**The Impala**

**Hibbing, Minnesota **

**Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester**

Charlie let out a frustrated huff and sat up from the backseat. "I can't sleep," she stated, the buzzing of her ribs healing making it impossible for her to lay still.

Dean looked back at her in the mirror, an amused look on his face. "I hate to say I told you so..."

She pointed a finger at him. "Not once did you tell me that I wouldn't be able to sleep in the car!" she argued. "You just said that I better not complain in the morning."

"Yeah, well, that still stands," he told her. "If I hear one peep out of you-"

"Oh, what are you gonna do?" she asked, leaning against the front seat to rest her head on his shoulder. "Huh?"

He smirked at that. "What do you want me to do?"

She let out a snort. "See this is why I hate phone sex."

"Woah!" he exclaimed, twisting around slightly to look down at her. "Where the hell did phone sex come from?"

Charlie pulled a face. "What do you want me to do?" she mimicked in a deep voice. "That's always what they say after you've given a rather vivid description. Don't ask me what I want you to do just tell me!"

He glanced between her and the road for a few moments. "You, uh, you don't have a lot of luck with guys and kinky stuff, d'you ya?"

She hummed in agreement. "Remind me later to tell you about the sex swing incident," she mused with a grimace. "Now that was bad."

Dean thought to ask but a part of him really wanted Sammy to be there for it, knowing that his reaction would make it all the better. "I guess a guy really takes his life into his own hands when he decides to sleep with you, huh?"

"It's not my fault they can't handle me," she huffed with a pout.

"It sure isn't," he mused with a smirk.

Charlie was a little surprised by his sincerity but didn't press on it. "Would you kill me if I climbed over the seat?"

"Are your boots off?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Mhmm."

"Just watch the leather."

She did just that as she threw her leg over and hoisted herself forward, lowering down into the passenger's seat expertly. "I'm not an amateur at maneuvering in cars."

"I can see that," he chuckled, actually looking a little impressed. "You got any interesting car stories?"

"Do you mean sexy car stories?"

"I did not say 'sexy'," he defended.

"But it was implied."

"It was implied."

She laughed and reached forward to turn the radio up a little higher. "I don't think you've earned sexy car stories," she told him, a pleased smile stretching across her lips when the new song started.

**And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder**

**One of the four beasts saying,**

**'Come and see', and I saw, and behold a white horse**

**There's a man goin' round takin' names**

**And he decides who to free and who to blame **

**Everybody won't be treated all the same **

**There'll be a golden ladder reachin' down **

**When the man comes around **

Dean cleared his throat and glanced over to her. "I found the tape a few weeks ago at a gas station," he explained. "I've been drivin' Sammy crazy with it."

She beamed at that, a little proud of herself for turning him onto it. "Do you know what the song is about?"

He shook his head. "It's biblical though, right?"

"'And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer'," she recited. "Revelations. The Four Horseman."

His eyebrows shot up. "You have that memorized?"

"Are you really that surprised?" she asked with a pointed look.

He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No."

She rolled her eyes and slumped a little further into the seat. "Anyways, the entire song is riddled with Biblical references but it's mostly about the Apocalypse," she explained with a soft smile. "People just sing along without knowing that's what it's about. I've always found that a little funny."

"Well, not all of us have such an extensive knowledge about scriptures, sweetheart," he said, taking his hand off the wheel to pat her knee. "Us simple fold just like the music."

Charlie let out a snort of laughter. "You're far from simple, honeybuns," she told him, grabbing hold of his hand to play with her fingers. "You made an EMF reading out of a Walkman."

He shrugged the best he could. "Ah, that wasn't too hard," he said, glancing down at his hand to watch her fingers fidget.

"Modestly doesn't suit you," she mused, pressing her palm against his to compare the size differences. "Or, it doesn't suit your facade."

His brows furrowed. "My facade? What the hell does that mean?"

"Facade, noun, a superficial appearance or illusion of something," she defined.

"What? No, I know what the word means," he defended. shooting her a glare. "I meant, what the hell does it have to do with me?"

She watched him for a moment before shaking her head. "I won't call you on it because it'll just make you defensive," she stated, flexing her fingers against his, "and I'm father fond of you when you're like this so I'd rather not ruin it."

He shifted his hand so he could thread his fingers with hers. "I thought I was always like this?" he asked, his voice a little softer.

Charlie dropped her eyes to watch their hands. "You're different when no one is watching you."

"You're watching me."

She shook her head. "I don't count," she dismissed.

"You'll always count."

She had to keep herself from looking at him, a part of her thinking that if she did he'd shut down. "You posture when people are watching," she said, slumping over till she was pressed into his side, her head on his shoulder. "When you know they're not, you relax and you let yourself be yourself."

There was a moment of silence. "I let myself be myself?"

"Mhmm," she hummed, turning her head slightly to breath in his leather jacket. "My dad calls it Hunters Complex," she said. "With the kind of job that we have, saving people, hunting things, we can't allow ourselves to be 'just people'. Because 'just people' don't survive the monsters or the darkness. We need to be something else. Something bigger than it all. And the worst part is that we can't let the 'just people' see what we really are."

"And what are we?"

"Just as scared as they are."

Dean let out a grunt. "I'm not scared."

"If you're not scared than you're dead," she countered, the words her mother often said flowing out easily.

"Fear is what gets people killed."

"Impulsive decisions and stupidity is what gets people killed, "Charlie argued. "Fear doesn't have to be all consuming. You just have to know how to use it."

"Use fear?"

"Mhmm," she hummed again, her free hand coming up to wind around his arm, all but hugging it to her chest. "I'll each you sometime."

He chuckled at that and looked down to her, not at all surprised by her cuddling. "I look forward to it, sweetheart," he told her, his voice going soft again. "So, Courtney's in Scotland?"

"With Godfrey," she answered with a laugh. "Normally we don't let him in the field because he panics, but he gave a rather passionate speech about returning to his homeland that she couldn't tell him no."

Dean would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised. "Godfrey's Scottish?"

"Oh yeah, kilt and all."

"You're kidding," he snorted.

She all but giggled. "Don't worry, he only wears it on special occasions."

An unsure laugh left him, a part of him wanting to crack a joke but the other part knowing she was in a very good position to do something very painful to him. "He sounds like a cool guy."

"He seems to think so," she mused with a soft smile. "I love him though."

Dean nodded softly at that. "I didn't think Hunters took vacations."

"They don't," she agreed, "but they do go on treasure hunts. They're following a lead on something we've been looking for. It's the first solid lead we've had in months."

"What are you looking for?" he asked before giving a small shrug. "Maybe I've heard about it."

She wondered for a moment if she should tell him, if he and Sam had managed to hear something about the Colt during their time away from John. Though she was religiously rebellious against John she found a string of thought telling her to keep him in the dark. When everything came to light her reluctance to tell him about the gun would be overshadowed by her and Courtney working for their father.

"Charlie?"

She snapped out of her thoughts. "It's nothing occult," she lied quickly. "It's a Godfrey family heirloom. Court and Godfrey are at an auction where it's being sold apparently."

"Huh. I didn't think people actually had family heirlooms."

"Families as wealthy as The Godfrey's do," she answered with a small shrug. "His line can be traced back to royalty."

"Damn," he grunted.

She laughed softly and let her eyes slip closed, the buzzing from her ribs healing finally vanishing and the sleep deprivation setting in. She pulled in a deep breath and let out it slowly, her mind finally going quiet.

Dean lanced down at her when he heard her sigh, a soft smile pulling at his lips when he saw her half unconscious. "D'you want me to turn the music down?" he offered, wondering how he was going to do just that with her grip on his arm.

"It's okay," she answered, her voice muffled against his jacket. "Night, honeybuns."

"Night, sweetheart."

* * *

**I'm not even going to try to think up an excuse for how late this is. Sorry about that. There's going to be at least three parts to this episode though, if that makes anything better. **

**Let me know what you guys think! **

**Reviews=Love**


	12. The Benders Part 2

**June 7th, 2006**

**Sota Motel**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester**

_The battlefield was a symphony of screams and metals. Faceless bodies in blood splattered armor laid at the feet of those who were still trying to survive and conquer. Lightning clashing amongst the clouds as the bodies continued to fall, thunder shaking the ground in protest. Charlie knelt in the only clearing the carnage provided, a bloodied sword and shield clutching in her hands. _

_"Charlotte!" _

_She looked up to find Zadkiel running towards her, his armor dented and his wings ash smudged. Two Angels followed behind him, looking as pristine and untouched as their church statues. They grabbed hold of Zadkiel's wings and tore him back. He struggled against them, clawing at the bodies around him to find purchase. _

_"Save your sister!" he shouted before they disappeared in a starburst of light. _

_Turning her attention towards the last clashing soldiers she recognized the vivant blue wings of Courtney. She was clad in glowing white armor that was almost too bright to look at. Her opponent wore chard steel and a gold crown, a broad sword held at his side. His face was smeared with blood and dirt but Charlie still recognized him. _

_Sam. _

"Charlie!"

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Dean's voice, the man standing in front of her with a concerned expression on his face. She blinked several times as the hotel room refocused around her, the beds behind her and the TV and table in front of her. It took her a moment to realize that she was standing in the middle of the room.

"Hey, "Dean said, reaching out hesitantly to grab her shoulders. "You okay?"

She swallowed hard and nodded out of reflex. "Ye-yeah," she answered, her voice cracking. "I'm fine."

He gave her a skeptical look. "Are you sure?" he pressed.

She nodded again and looked around her, confirming that she had indeed slept walked. "It was just a dream," she assured him. "It happens sometimes."

"But you're okay?"

"Yeah, why?" she questioned, looking back at him.

"Your nose if bleeding."

Charlie's hand flew up to touch under her nose, her fingers coming back smeared with red. "Shit," she cursed, pulling away from him to run into the bathroom. "I hate when this happens," she grumbled, hovering over the sink to let the blood drip down.

Dean followed in after her, glancing into the sink at the blood as he grabbed one of the hand towels. "Here, sweetheart, tilt your head back," he told her.

She sniffed and did just that. "Thank you."

He gave her an easy smile and pressed the towel to her nose, his other hand cradling the back of her head. "Must have been one hall of a dream."

She let out a muffled laugh.

"What was it about?" he asked.

She glanced over at him before looking back to the ceiling. "Some biblical bullshit."

"Does biblical bullshit always give yo nose bleeds?" he joked.

She couldn't help but smile at that. "Only on Sundays."

"It's Wednesday, sweetheart."

"Then we're all fucked," she snorted.

Dean chuckled. "Tell me something I don't know."

She thought for a moment. "There's a species of cockroaches that eats eyelashes"

He did a double take at her, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. "Eyelashes?"

She nodded the best she could. "While you're sleeping."

He floundered for a moment, his mouth opening and closing several times as he struggled to think of something to say to that. "I, uh, I didn't know that," he decided.

"Well, that's what you asked for," she mused.

Dean nodded his head to the side. "Sure, but I didn't ask for another reason not to sleep," he grumbled. "How do you even know that?"

"I love that you're still surprised by the shit I say," she told him with a wide smile.

He let out a laugh and shook his head. "Honestly, sweetheart, I don't think you'll ever stop surprising me."

She hummed in appreciation before reaching up to take the towel from him. "What time is is?" she questioned, leaning back over the sink to see if she was still bleeding.

"Little after seven," he answered, leaning against the counter to watch her.

Satisfied that her nose bleed was over she turned on the faucet and whetted the towel. "I'm assuming you didn't find anything last night?" she continued, wiping her lips and chin to clean off the blood.

"There was a traffic cam outside the bar. There's a chance it caught something," he answered, crossing his arms. "Figured we'd con our way into getting a look at the tapes."

"Cons right," she agreed, scrubbing the blood off her fingers. "There's a lot of paperwork involved with something like that."

He let out a snort of laughter. "I've never had to fill out paperwork," he stated.

"That's because you're everybody's type," she mused, using the towel to wipe the sink clean.

"Like you aren't," he countered.

"Believe it or not I come off as unapproachable to most people. It's easier for me to play hard ass superior than damsel in need of help," she told him. "Though I suppose I look strung out enough to be a distraught friend or family member," she allowed, looking herself over in the mirror. "I can cry on demand."

"You can?" he asked, finding it hard to believe.

She nodded. "Ugly sobbing or that fake shit you see on TV," she told him. "The fake shit works wonders on men over thirty but it tends to piss off women of all ages; they know I'm faking. Ugly sobbing, though, that scares the shit out of men and gains sympathy from the women, doesn't matter what age."

He watched her for a moment. "It's terrifying that you sound so sure about that."

"Courtney has a thing for Sociology," she explained. "A few years ago I helped her conduct a study on gender and age based reactions to emotional outbursts. The results weren't that surprising but it helped us perfect our manipulation tactics- well, helper her. She says I'm too blunt for it to really work."

He couldn't help but nod at that. "You are pretty blunt."

"Yes I am," she agreed. "So, it's up to you. Weepy or hard ass."

Dean thought for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Honestly, I think you should hand back," he answered. I have to use Sam's real name, they have files on us and if something goes wrong and I get arrested-"

"I'm still free to help," she cut in, nodding in understanding. "They had files on you two?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He rolled his eyes and waved her off. "Just some trouble with a Shapeshifter wearing my face," he explained. "Officially Dean Winchester is dead so if they've got a picture of me I'm screwed."

"So who are you going in as?" she questioned, turning to lean back against the counter.

Dean beamed at that and reached into his back pocket to pull out a police badge. "Officer Gregory Washington," he answered.

"Where the hell did you get a police badge?" Charlie demanded, snatching it from his hand to get a closer look.

He shrugged. "Stole it."

She let out a snort. "Course you did. What'll you do if they run the badge number?" she asked, holding it out to him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

She decided against pointing out the faults in the plan and sighed. "Alright, I'll hand back and tail you, but you better text me with updates," she told him, pointing a threatening finger at him.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Whatever you want," he answered.

"Good," she agreed with a nod. "When do you want to leave?"

Dean gave an easy shrug. "When you're ready. I got you breakfast so..."

She perked up at that. "You got me breakfast?"

He nodded his head to the side with a smirk. "Course I did, sweetheart," he answered. "I gotta take care of you, don't I?"

"Not really, but I appreciate it," she told him, pushing off the counter so she could lean up and kiss his cheek. "Thanks, honeybuns," she murmured, stepping past him to walk back into the room.

"No problem, sweetheart," he said, following after her. "I got you pancakes with bacon and I think there's some scrambled eggs in there too," he explained, gesturing to the Styrofoam container sitting on the table in the corner. "And coffee. Can't forget the coffee."

"I can't function without coffee," she mused, grabbing the pleasantly sized to-go cup before plopping down into one of the chairs. "Would you be a doll and grab my laptop from my bad?" I requested, popping the top off the container and smiling at the food.

Dean wiped around at that and walked over to where my bad sat on the bed. "You're okay with me going through this?" he asked, pointing down at it.

"I wouldn't have asked you to if I wasn't," she pointed out around a mouthful of bacon.

He nodded his head to the side. "Guess that's true," she agreed before unzipping the backpack and reaching in. "Nothings gonna stab me, right?"

"There's stilettos in there that I'd watch out for," she warned.

He paused and looked over to her. "Stiletto heels or stiletto knives?"

Charlie choked on her sip of coffee with a laugh. "Heels," she clarified.

"Huh," he said, digging into the bag a little deeper and pulling out her laptop. "I thought it would have been the knives."

"You'd be surprised what a man will do for a woman in a pair of steel heeled Stilettos."

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "Steel heeled?"

She nodded as she took her laptop from him. "You can also use them as weapons," she explained, setting the computer off to the side and opening it, the screening coming to life. "Can I see that badge again please?"

Dean pulled a face but handed the badge over as well.

"Thank you," she said, turning back to the laptop.

He moved over to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder to watch her work. "Did you just hack into the Police database?"

She hummed in agreement. "It's not as hard as everyone things," she mused, moving her way through the program. "Even the Pentagon isn't that hard to get into. You just have to know where the back doors are."

He was quiet for a moment as he watched her. "You can get into the Pentagon?" he asked.

"If I need to," she answered, reading the badge number as she entered it in. "They're a lot more involved in the paranormal than you would expect."

"You're kidding."

Charlie shook her head. "Area 51 isn't just for aliens," she mused before the computer beeped and a file popped up. "Shit," she grumbled as she read it over. "The badge has been flagged as stolen."

He nodded his head to the side. "We expected that," he allowed.

"Yeah, but there's also a picture attacked," she stated, opening the attachment and letting out a laugh. "You stole the badge from a middle aged black man?"

Dean pulled a face and he leaned down to get a closer look. "Yeah, okay, that's not good."

"No it's not," she agreed. "You're going to be majorly screwed if they run the badge number and they will."

He shifted his stance and cleared his throat. "Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can," she said. "I'm a very smart person."

He smiled at that. "Hell yeah you are," he agreed, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Thank you, sweetheart."

She smiled at the show of affection. "It's going to take me a few minutes to sort this out," she told him, already going at the keyboard.

"Just make sure to eat, alright?" he requested, one of his hands coming up to rest on her shoulder. "I'm gonna shower."

"Alright," she said absently, stabbing off a bite of pancake with one hand while the other moved across the keyboard.

Dean gave an amused chuckle and moved towards the bathroom, his hand trailing across her shoulders as he went.

* * *

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren and Dean Winchester**

_From: Honeybuns_

_Talked the Deputy into helping me :) _

Charlie rolled her eyes at his winkey face and looked to the door of the Sheriff's Department to watch them walk out, Dean trailing behind a brunette woman to a cruiser. She was a little surprised that Dean wasn't insisting on taking his baby but it seemed that when it came to Sam nothing else mattered. She pulled her helmet back on and fired up the bike, waiting till the cruiser was at the end fo the street before following after them. Hibbing being a somewhat small town it didn't take long to get where ever it was they were going, Charlie circled around the block a couple of times til the Deputy had gone inside and Dean was sitting on the bench in front of the County Works Department that she found a place to stop.

She pulled her helmet off once again and ran a hand through her hair, now regretting not having braided it. She let out a sigh when she heard her phone, shooting a look towards Dean before answering it. "Yes, Dean?"

_"Has anyone ever told you that you've dead sexy on that bike?"_

She chuckled and sat up a little straighter. "You should see me in my gear. Head to toe leather."

He let out a groan. _"You're killing me, sweetheart." _

"Oh, honey, I haven't even started," she told him, awfully amused by how easy he was. "So how did you get her to help you?"

_"Sympathy," _he answered. _"Told her that Sam's family, then I asked her if any of their missing persons come back." _

"Damn," she muttered. "You went after her morals and her job. You don't hold punches, do you?"

_"Not when it comes to Sammy." _

Charlie hummed in agreement. "The shit we have to do for the kids, right?"

A humorless laugh left him. _"Right." _

She went to make another comment but stopped when she spotted the Deputy walking towards him. "Look alive, honeybuns, she's back," she told him before hanging up. She let out a sigh and leaned forward against the tank of her bike, watching with slight boredom as the Deputy showed Dean the pictures from the highway surveillance. Nothing really caught her interest till a POS can screeched by, the sound grating down her spine. "Jesus Christ," she muttered, watching the blue monstrosity make it's way down the street. Her attention was diverted when her phone chimed with a text.

_From" Honeybuns_

_POS camper with new plates left a few minutes after Sam disappeared. _

_We're going to see if we can track it. _

A frustrated groan left her at the thought of having to follow them around all day. She stared down at the screen for a moment before typing out a reply.

_To: Honeybuns_

_Since you're safe and sound with the Deputy I"m going to go check out the_

_parking lot and the other places to see if I can pick up on anything. _

_From: Honeybuns _

_Let me know where you're going? So I know you haven't been babenapped?" _

She let out a snort at the babenapped part.

_To: Honeybuns_

_Only if you do the same ;) _

She shoved her phone back into her pocket and pulled on her helmet. She knocked the kickstand up, started the engine and pulled away from the curb. She shot one more glance over to where Dean and the Deputy were before taking off down the road towards the bar.

* * *

**Kugels Keg**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren**

Charlie had saved Kugels Keg for last, deciding that hanging out in a bar's parking lot during the day would be inconspicuous. So when the sun started to drop behind the mountains she found a spot amongst the cars. Casting Rune Stones in a parking lot was a surprisingly common occurrence in Charlie's life. She wished she could say that it wasn't but it was and she had gotten good at hiding it. Hunkered down behind her bike she shook the Rune Stones in her hands and recited the spell.

**Holy mother of the Earth**

**Mother of the Higher Realms, guide my hand**

**Reveal the evil that dwelt here**

Dropping the stones onto the asphalt she watched as they rolled to a stop. Her face twisted into confusion as she read them over, growing more and more frustrated with every second.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, leaning down a little closer. "That's gibberish!"

The Runes remained unmoving.

She gathered them back up and shook them again.

**Holy mother of the Earth**

**Mother of the Higher Realms, guide my hand **

**Reveal the evil that dwelt here**

She dropped them and watched as they fell into the same spots. "Does the gibberish mean something?" she asked, reaching to poke one of them. "I don't understand."

The Runes didn't answer.

"Right, you're useless," she decided, gathering them back up and shoving them into their bag. She pulled her phone out and pressed the first speed dial, tapping her heal as she listened to the ringing.

_"Do you have any fucking clue what time it is?"_

Charlie let out a relief filled sigh when Courtney answered. "I have no idea but I need your help," she stated.

Courtney let out a sigh of her own. _"You need help with a Ghoul?"_

"No, no, I'm helping Dean with something," she explained. "Did you take the Scrying Map?"

_"Why would I take the Scrying Map?" _she demanded, sounding awfully disgruntled. _"Why do you need the Scrying Map?"_

Charlie groaned and looked around the parking lot. "Would you believe me if I said that Dean lost Sam again?"

She was quiet for a moment. _"How does he keep losing a 7 foot tall puppy?" _she grumbled. _"What happened this time?"_

"Sam may or may not have been taken by a Phantom."

_"You guys don't know?" _

"No," she groaned out. "There's no actual evidence that it's a Phantom but it's the closet thing that it could be. But listen, we don't really care what it is right now, we just need to find Sam and the Runes aren't working so I thought I'd see if you had the map."

_"The Rune Stones aren't working?" _

Charlie glared down at the bag in her hand. "No, they're just talking gibberish," she snarled. "I tried twice."

_"That's weird," _she agreed. _"Have you guys considered the option of it not being a creature? I mean, just because he was taken doesn't mean it was by something supernatural. Humans are assholes too, remember?" _

"If I can't track the thing that took him then how the fuck do I track him?"

_"If you don't have the map please tell me you have mom's Grimoire." _

"Uh, please hold," she said, setting the phone on the seat so she could dig through her saddle bags, trying to remember if she had packed the book or not. A triumphant laugh left her when she found it tucked in the bottom. "Got it~" she sing-songed, picking the phone back up. "Which spell am I looking for?"

_"The one with Solomon's 19th Seal," _she answered.

Charlie flipped through the aged parchment papers. "19th, 19th, 19th," she chanted, looking for the familiar seal. "Alright, there it is," she said, reading the page over. "I have to meditate? What the hell kind of tracking spell is this?"

_"It's not a tracking spell," _Courtney denied. _"Technically it's a form of astral projection. It lets you look through the intendeds eyes. It should help you figure out where Sam is or who took him." _

Charlie scanned the rest of the spell and sighed. "I really hate meditating."

_"I know you do but this is for Samwise and Honeybuns," _she reminded her before letting out a laugh. _"Never thought I'd say those two words in the same sentence." _

Charlie let out a laugh of her own. "It's not better than Jolly Green Giant and Johnny Bravo."

_"I guess that's true," _she mused before letting out a yawn. _"I'm going back to sleep now. Let me know if you find him, okay?"_

"Will do, Court. Thanks for the help."

_"Course, sis. Bye." _

"Bye."

* * *

**Here, have another chapter! **

**Reviews=Love**


	13. The Benders Part 3

**Sota Motel**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren**

After many years of performing magic in hotels the Warren girls had found many shortcuts to make it less traumatizing for the maids. For example, dry erase markers on linoleum bathroom floors were perfect for sigils and seals, and plastic cups worked wonders to keep candle wax from getting everywhere. Charlie had even managed to make a cleaner that could get even the trickiest bloodstains out of carpet. Of course, there are situations where some things just can't be avoided. When those situations occurred a nice stack of money on the nightstand with a note of apology worked just fine.

_To: Honeybuns  
Back at the hotel to try out a spell to find Sam.  
I'll let you know how it goes. _

Setting her phone off to the side she uncapped the marker and started to draw the seal, squinting down at the open book every once and awhile to read the symbols. "This is a lot easier when Court's here," she muttered, low-key hating the fact that her sister was artistic. A frustrated sigh left her when she smudged a line at the sound of her text tone.

_From: Honeybuns  
__Is it dangerous?_

_To: Honeybuns  
Not if I do it right._

_From: Honeybuns  
Have you done it before?_

_To; Honeybuns  
I've done something like it. _

_From: Honeybuns  
What'll happen if you fuck it up?_

Charlie considered lying to him but decided against it. If she did fuck it up and he found her it would be a lot worse if she didn't warn him.

_To: Honeybuns  
__Honestly, I could slip into a coma for a few days. But that's if I fuck  
__it up significantly and that's pretty hard to do. The worse that'll probably  
__happen is I get the worst hang over of my life. _

_From: Honeybuns  
But you'll be okay?_

_To: Honeybuns  
Yeah, like i said, just a really bad hang over._

_From: Honeybuns  
If I don't hear from you in the next hour I'm assuming you fucked up._

_To: Honeybuns  
Your confidence in me is staggering. Give me two hours._

_From: Honeybuns  
Fine. Be careful_

She pulled a face at the phone and tossed it up onto the counter, a little put out with Dean's attitude. She erased and fixed the smudged line before inking in the last few symbols. She set the marker up with her phone and gathered up the four candles she had brought in. With them each sitting in the hotel supplied plastic cups she set them at the four points of the seal and lit them. The spell called for a photo and while Sam was a very photogenic person the only picture she could find was a fake Health Inspector badge. It was better than nothing.

Meditating had proven to be a problem with Charlie in the past. With her instinctual ability at delving into minds allowing hers to wander had taken her to places she had never wanted to go. Charlie herself didn't remember anything solid enough to talk about but Courtney had video of her ambling Enochian for three hours straight. The most worrisome part of it all was the fact that Zadkiel didn't know what she was talking about. She had shied away from meditation ever since.

"Just focus on Sam," she reminded herself as she folded her legs into Full Lotuc position. "Just focus on Sam," she mumbled, pulling in a calming breath and letting it out slowly.

**Immisi spiritum meum musca**

**Ut mente et corpore tuo**

**Exaudi orationem meam**

**Patitur transitu**

**Ut mente et corpore tuo**

**Immisi spiritum meum musca**

**Ut mente et corpore tuo**

**Exaudi orationem meam**

**Patitur transitu**

**Ut mente et corpore tuo**

**Immisi spiritum meum musca**

**Ut mente et corpore tuo**

**Exaudi orationem meam**

**Patitur transitu**

**Ut mente et corpore tuo**

**Immisi spiritum meum musca**

**Ut mente et-**

_Sam's feet were braced against the side of the cage as he strained against the electrical cable, his muscles burning from his effort to pull it free. _

_"What's your name again?"_

_Sam grunted and glanced over to Jenkins in the other cage. "It's Sam." _

_"Why don't you give it up, Sammy? There's no way out." _

_A breathy laugh left him. "Don't...call me...Sammy!" with that the cable broke free and Sam fell back to the bottom of the cage. Sam pushed himself up as he coughed at the shower of dust it brought. _

_"What is it?" Jenkins questioned, having heard the same clatter of metal that Sam had. _

_The Winchester searched the floor before spotting what had fallen and grabbing it. "It's a bracket," he answered, sounding far too interested in that. _

_Jenkins rolled his eyes. "Oh, thank God! A bracket. Now we got them, huh?" _

_The answering mechanical clang of the lock shifted the atmosphere. _

_"Must have been a short," Jenkins stated, all but throwing himself towards the door. "Maybe you knocked something loose." _

_The knot of dread tightened in Sam's chest as he watched the man step out of the cage. "I think you should get back in there, Jenkins," he advised. _

_"What?" he asked, ignoring him and taking a few more steps. _

_"This isn't right," Sam pressed, his instincts all but screaming at him._

_Jenkins glanced back at him. "Don't you want to get out of here?"_

_Sam nodded. "Yeah, but that was too easy." _

_Jenkins was feet away from the barn door. "I'm gonna get out of here. I'm gonna send help, okay? Don't worry." _

_"No," Sam barked out. "I'm serious. Jenkins, this might be a trap." _

_He waved back at Sam as he headed through the barn doors. "Bye, Sammy." _

_"Jenkins!" Sam called after him, willing the man to understand how wrong his freedom was. _

_It was a few minutes later when the man's screams of agony proved Sam's instincts right. _

* * *

**Sota Motel**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Dean Winchester and Charlie Warren**

_From: Sweetheart  
Alive and hating life_

_To: Sweetheart_

_Glad you're alive. Do you need anything?_

_From: Sweetheart_

_Chocolate milkshake_

_To: Sweetheart_

_I can do that. _

Dean let out a sigh and tossed his phone onto the seat next to him, his hand scrubbing across his face as he started his baby. The thought of finding a comatose Charlie in their motel room had been nagging at him for the past hour and a half. The last thing he needed or wanted was Charlie out of commission. He pulled away from the Sheriff's Department and made his way to the diner he had spotted earlier, getting Charlie's milkshake and a burger for himself before booking it back to the motel.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called as he stepped through the door, scanning the room for any sign of her.

Something that sounded like death was his answer.

He cringed and set the food down onto the table. "Charlie?" he asked as he walked over to the bathroom. "I'm gonna come in okay?"

Muffled groaning was the response.

He took that as a 'yes' and pushed open the door, knocking over a couple of candles as he went. He looked down at the floor to find one of Sam's ID's and what looked like a seal.

"Did you get my milkshake?"

His head snapped over at the sound of the scraggly voice, his eyes widening when he saw her.

Charlie looked like she had been reheated in a break room microwave. She was curled up around the toilet, her skin a sickly color with a clammy sheen to it. Her eyes were bloodshot and dull from the obvious headache she had.

"Aw, sweetheart," he sighed, shuffling over so he could crouch next to her, his hand rubbing across her back.

She looked up at him from the corner of her eyes, obviously not wanting to move. "Did you get my milkshake?" she asked again.

He laughed at that. "Yeah, I got it."

A small smile twitched at her lips. "Thank you."

Dean smiled back and reached up to pull her hair back. "How you feeling?" he asked.

"Like my insides want to be outside," she said with a groan, "but I just keep dry heaving."

He gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said, petting the side of her head. "D'you wanna go lay down?"

"With my milkshake?" she questioned, sounding like a three year old.

He nodded. "With your milkshake."

"Okay," she agreed, pushing herself up till she was sitting straight. "Oooh," she moaned, her eyes screwing closed as she swayed. "That was a bad idea."

Dean steadied her. "How bout I carry you, huh?" he suggested.

"Yes please."

"Okay," he chuckled, maneuvering himself around her so he could pick her up. He slipped one arm under her knees and another around her back. He hoisted her up, doing his best to be gentle.

She groaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her head lolling to the side. "Thank you, Dean."

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," he told her, making sure to avoid the seal as he walked them out. "I'm glad you're not comatose."

Charlie chuckled at that. "Yeah, me too," she agreed. "It really sucked the last time it happened."

"You've been in a coma before?" he asked, looking down at her with a skeptical expression.

"You haven't?" she countered.

He shook his head. "Uh, no, not that I know of."

She let out a scoff. "Lucky you."

He grunted in agreement and walked over to the bed, setting her down as gently as he could before walking over to grab her milkshake and his food. "I don't wanna be a dick but did the spell work?" he asked, sitting down on the side of the bed. "Did you find anything about Sam?"

Charlie grabbed the offered drink and took a long drag from it. "Considering that he's being kept in a cage he's handling it pretty well," she answered, a hum of appreciation leaving her as she took another sip.

Dean instantly brightened at that. "He's alive?"

She nodded. "That's more than I can say for that Jenkins guy. Idiot should have listened to Sam."

"What happened?" he asked around a mouthful of burger.

She leaned back against the headboard and let out a sigh. "Sam pulled a cable free and the automatic lock on Jenkins' cage opened. Jenkins thought that Sam had shorted something and decided to go get help. Sam told him that it was a trap and to get back in the cage but he didn't listen," she explained, her voice getting a little stronger.

"And it killed him?" he pressed.

Charlie shrugged the best she could. "Didn't actually see anything. He left the barn and a few minutes later he was screaming."

Dean's brow furrowed as he took that in. "So, the lock just opened?"

She nodded.

"And Sam think that they let him go on purpose?"

She nodded again.

"So they wanted to hunt him?"

"It makes the most sense," she allowed. "I mean, you don't keep someone in a cage just to let them go."

He hummed in agreement, shoving several fries into his mouth. "It might be something ritualistic," he suggested. "A rite of passage maybe?"

"It smelled like the country," she remembered. "That doesn't really help though."

He shook his head. "Not really. Deputy Hubak said there are hundreds of backroads. It's going to take days to look through them all."

Charlie sipped for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I'll do the spell again later to see if I can get a better idea of where he is," she decided.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Charlie. If this is what it does to you then..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

"All magic has a price," she stated. "No matter what I do I'll have to pay a price."

His brow furrowed. "All magic?"

"All magic," she repeated. "It can be little things like a few drops of blood or a full blown sacrifice. It just depends on how badly you want the spell to work."

Dean grimaced and looked back down to his food. "You do a lot of magic, don't you?"

She watched him, her eyes narrowing in thought. "It bothers you, doesn't it?"

He nodded his head to the side. "I mean, you don't use it like witches do..." he trilaed off. "You don't abuse it or use if for evil."

She hummed at that. "Magic isn't inherently evil," she mused. "You don't look at a gun and think 'that's evil'. No, you look at the person who used the gun to hurt someone and think 'that's evil'," she stated, the conviction in her voice a little surprising.

"You've had to argue that before, haven't you?"

"With your dad, actually," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "That man is awfully narrow minded for some of the shit he's seen."

Dean looked to her in surprise. "You've argued with my dad?"

She let out a snort of laughter. "We argue all the time," she told him. "It's why Courtney has to take the phone every time he calls."

Dean knew how bad his father could get and shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "That bad, huh?"

She hummed as she nodded. "Courtney keeps saying that we piss each other off on purpose," she explained. "That we like to fight."

"Do you?"

Charlie thought for a moment. "Maybe a little," she allowed. "When you don't like someone you usually enjoy fight with them."

"You don't like my dad?"

She was a little surprised to find that he actually sounded offended. "Dean, honey, have you met your dad?" she asked.

His jaw clenched.

Charlie sighed as she realized that she had ticked him off. "Don't get me wrong," she started, reaching out to grip his shoulder, "your dad is a fantastic hunter. He just rubs me the wrong way, that's all. We don't have to get along to get the job done."

He glanced over to her before letting out a sigh of his own. "You know, Sammy and Dad argue all the time, too," he told her, a sour not to his voice. "They actually got into a fight the night he left for Stanford."

She knew this, of course, from having read John's journal. She decided it was better to keep that little fact to herself. "How bad was it?"

A humorless laugh left him as he shook his head. "Bad enough that they haven't talked in a couple years."

Charlie frowned along with him and sat up a little straighter. "You know, it's not all that uncommon for parents and children to lash out at each other if they have similar personalities."

"Sammy and Dad couldn't be more different."

"You think so?" she asked. "Cause I think Samwise and John are pretty similar in a lot of ways."

That skeptical look was once again on his face. "I always thought Dad and I were the same."

Charlie wanted to tell him that he took after Mary, that there was hardly any John in him. She knew, however, that the subject of Mary, even after the Lawrence hunt, was a sore subject. She had already pissed him off with her comment about John, she didn't want to shut him down completely. "I guess you have his jaw," she mused, moving her hand from his shoulder to trace his jaw bone.

Surprisingly he leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed.

"Did you sleep last night?" she asked, already knowing that he hadn't.

"A little," he answered, his voice calmer than it had been before. "About an hour."

She hummed at that and petted his hair. "You should try to sleep tonight," she told him. "Can't have you tired in the field."

A grunt left him and he pulled away from her hand. "How're you feeling?" he asked, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was changing the subject. "You look better."

"Well, I don't feel like turning myself inside out anymore."

Dean nodded. "That's good," he said as he shoved the last of his burger into his mouth. "How's the milkshake?"

"You want a sip?" she offered, holding it out to him.

He considered it for a moment, nodded his head to the side and leaned over to take a drag. "That's not half bad," he decided, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "So is that your hangover cure?"

She let out a laugh. "I wouldn't say cure, but it helps," she said, once again sipping at it. "What do you do for hangovers?"

"I stomach the greasiest thing I can get my hands on," he answered, getting up from the bed to throw his wrappers away. "Sometimes a shot of Jack works too."

Charlie hummed in agreement. "I nursed a bottle of Vodka one morning cause I was so fucked up. I was camped out in the back of the Camaro for most of the day."

"Been there," he sympathized, shrugging out of his jacket to set it on the back of the chair. "You ever throw up in the car?"

"Hell no," she denied instantly. "I've thrown up out the window but never in the car."

"Atta girl," he praised, a smirk on his face.

She wasn't sure why that made her feel proud but it did. "Have you ever thrown up in your baby?"

"Are you kidding me?" he asked with a laugh. "My dad would have killed me."

Charlie believed that. "Courtney threw up in my dad's car," she told him.

A look close to elation swept across his face. "You're shitting me."

She shook her head with a laugh. "It was her 21st birthday and we got fucked up. I mean, I don't even remember most of the night," she explained, giving him a pointed look. "I still don't know if we called Dad or if the bartender called him but I remember Courtney just sitting up and projectile vomiting across the windshield."

"Projectile?" Dean asked, pressing his fist to his mouth as he paled.

She nodded quickly. "It got into the air vents."

Dean gagged several times. "Oh God," he groaned, turning away from her.

Charlie was a little amazed. "Are you squeamish?"

He glared back at her. "I'm not squeamish!" he denied. "It's just disgusting."

"But you were going to hold my hair back."

"What?"

"When you came into the bathroom you pulled my hair back, she reminded him. "If I threw up you were going to hold it back."

He squared his shoulders and he turned back to her. "Well yeah," he agreed. "I'm not a complete dick."

"No, not completely," she agreed, her fondness for him having grown.

Dean seemed to notice the shift in her attitude and smiled back at her, the tension he had gained in their conversation dissolving. He wasn't sure how but Charlie seemed to have the ability to turn his moods on a dime. It unnerved him when he first noticed it but now, in their current situation, he was a little grateful for it.

"I should probably clean up that seal," she said after a moment of quiet. "Resting magic is still dangerous," she mused, scooting to the edge of the bed and getting up, still a little light headed.

"You good?" he asked as he took a step forward, ready to catch her if needed.

She flashed him a wide smile. "I'm good," she told him, shuffling into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and turned on the faucet, the fluttering of her wings joining the sound of the water. She let out a deep rooted sigh, the rush of her grace arching her back and igniting her eyes. Whatever damage the spell had down melted away and left her in an almost euphoric state. With a stretch that had her wings touching the ceiling she brought them in, her back pin-pricking from the temporal shift.

With a new pep in her step she cleaned up the seal and the candles before packing away the Grimoire. When she felt the last trace of magic dissipate she set to work on getting ready for bed. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, pulled up her hair, and changed into the PJ's she had stashed in her bag. Once she was dressed she stepped back out into the room, fresh faced and ready for some solid sleep.

It appeared that Dean had decided to take her advice on trying to sleep. He was sprawled out on the bed closest to the door, the covers bunched up at his waist as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Whatcha thinking about, honeybuns?" she asked as she crawled back onto her own bed.

He let out a sigh and scrubbed his hand across his eyes. "Nothing you need to worry about, sweetheart," he answered. "You heading to bed?"

"Yeah," she said as she slipped under the covers. "What time are you meeting the Deputy tomorrow?"

"Seven."

"Okay," she sighed, slumping down into the pillows. "Wake me up before you leave."

"Will do," he said, reaching up to turn the beside lamp off. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, honeybuns."

* * *

**It's been awhile so have a new chapter! **

**Reviews=Love**


	14. The Benders Part 4

**June 8th, 2006**

**Sota Motel**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warrena nd Dean Winchester**

_Charlie's armored knees scrapped against the stone floor as the guards dragged her across the room. She didn't know where they were taking her but the feeling of dread had twisted itself inside her, wrapping around every fiber of her being. _

_Suddenly her arms were released and she dropped to the floor, the cool stone stinging against her battle warmed skin._

_"Kneel."_

_The command came from an all too familiar voice and she found herself complying. She pushed herself to her knees, the action leaving her momentarily breathless. She pulled in a deep breath before raising her head. _

_Sam, still clad in his armor and crown, sat with the posture of a kind on a thrown of bone and gore. His once hazel eyes were now consumed with black, a sickening shine to them. _

_"You put up a valiant fight," he stated, his baritone echoing off the walls. "You, your sister..." he trialed off as he looked to the far side of the room. "Even my brother." _

_Charlie's breath left her in a broken shudder as she followed his gaze. _

_Golden armor glowed dimly in the torch light, the precious metal tarnished and war ruined. A broken double edged sword rested in his blood stained hand, his fingers still curled around the hilt. Dull green eyes stared out from a halo of blood, his lips parted from one last 'Sammy'._

Charlie woke with a gasp, Dean's lifeless body flashing across her eyes with each blink. After a moment the image left her and she found herself once again standing in the middle of the room. "Goddammit," she grumbled, reaching up to touch under her nose. "Fuck," she sighed when she saw her red fingertips.

By the grace of some god the nosebleed wasn't as bad as the previous once have been. After a few minutes of care and a change of shirt she was ready to go back to bed. Instead of going back to the bed that had been designated hers she walked around to the unoccupied side of Dean's bed. She was annoyed with the fact that the thought of sleeping next to him made her feel better but she was too tired to really give a shit. She was also too tired to really care about waking Dean up as she crawled into the bed. He had rolled over onto his side something during the night, leaving her enough room to climb in behind him.

The sound of the bathroom door had woken Dean. He had remained in bed, listening intently for any sign that she needed his help. While he was surprised that Charlie had chosen his bed instead of her he didn't show it. He lied still as she curled herself around him, her arm slipping around his waist, her legs tangling with his, and her forehead pressed to the back of his neck. A shiver ran through him when she let out a sigh. He thought to ask her if everything was okay but something told him that it wouldn't help anything. Instead, he reached down and threaded his fingers through hers, giving a reassuring squeeze. A smile twitched at his lips when he felt her press a kiss between his shoulder blades.


	15. The Benders Part 5

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren**

With the 50 mile stretch of road looming over their heads Charlie and Dean decided to once again split up. Charlie would ride ahead to the next traffic light and work her way back, both of them sending their coordinates and findings as they went. Charlie was checking her fifth private driveway when she decided that Dean not having contacted her in almost an hour was a bad sign.

"Come on, Dean, pick up," she muttered as she called him for the third time. "Come on."

"This is Dean Winchester. If this is an emergency, leave a message."

"I swear to God, Dean, if you're in trouble I'm going to kick your ass," she said before hanging up. "Alright, where were you?" she muttered, going into her texts from Dean to find his coordinates. "Gotcha," she said before climbing back onto her bike and starting down the road.

It didn't take long for her to find the turn off or the fresh tire tracks from two vehicles. She stashed her bike in the tree line, pulled her gun free from her waistband and started down the mud covered driveway, her eyes tracking several pair of footprints as she went. The farmhouse looked like something straight out of a horror movie, complete with faded paint and a dilapidated porch. Though she had to admit that the camper parked by the barn looked extra slasher film. She scanned the yard as she made her way across it, heading for the barn that she prayed contained an alive Sam Winchester. Her prayers were answered as soon as she stepped through the door, the giant of a man sitting in the cage she had seen him in the night before.

"Charlie?" he asked in disbelief once he recognized her.

She couldn't help her bright smile. "Hey, Samwise," she greeted, stepping over to his cage.

He shook his head. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm scouting out locations for my destination wedding- what do you think I'm doing?" she asked, giving him a look. "I'm helping him look for you. Have you seen him?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, glancing over to the barn doors. "He went into the house to find the key for the cages," he explained.

Charlie glanced back as well. "How long ago was that?"

He thought for a moment. "15 minutes?" he guessed.

"Shit," she sighed. "Where's the Deputy?"

"Right here."

Charlie spun around at the sound of the new voice, a little surprised to find the woman in the opposite cage. "Hi," she said out of reflex before spotting the cut on her forehead. "You okay?" she asked, stepping over.

"They hit me over the head," she explained, reaching up to touch at it again. "I was talking to a little girl and- and she said 'that's going to hurt' then nothing."

"She said 'that's going to hurt'?" she repeated.

The Deputy nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Charlie frowned and looked back to Sam. "What are they?"

A look of amazement swept over his face as he shook his head. "They're people," he told her.

"It's _The Most Dangerous Game_?" she asked, more to herself than to the others as the realization hit her.

A humorless laugh left Sam. "Yeah, I guess so," he agreed.

She nodded absently. "I knew that's why they let Jenkins go," she mused. "If you had shorted the lock when you pulled the wire down then it would have opened both cages, they run through the same control box. And they caught him awfully fast. If he had just escaped by chance they wouldn't have found him that fast, not if they weren't watching him. But why did they-" her rant was cut off when a noise outside the door caught her attention. She moved quickly, ducking around the cage to crouch in the shadows.

The side door of the barn swung open and a man dressed in Elmer Fudd's summer collection stepped in, a rifle slung over his shoulder. He walked with purpose to the control box, ignoring the shouts and questions from both Sam and the Deputy as he twisted the key and unlocked Sam's cage.

Charlie moved as he did, managing to get behind him as he swung open Sam's door. She raised her gun as he did and pressed the barrel of it to the base of his neck.

The man's entire body froze.

Charlie took that as a good sign. "The gun pressed to your head is a Glock 20," she told him, keeping her voice as calm and cold as she could manage. "Nod if you understand what that will do to you when I pull the trigger."

He nodded hesitantly.

"I also want you to understand that I am not a cop. And that shooting you will have no negative impact on my life whatsoever. Do you understand?"

He nodded again.

"Good," she praised, calling up just enough of her grace to exude the feeling of peace. "Now what I want you to do is set your rifle on top of the cage in front of you and keep your hands where I can see them," she instructed, leaving no room for him to misunderstand.

To his credit he moved slowly, making no jerking movements, or attempts at doing something other than what she told him to. He set the rifle down and kept his hands level with his shoulders, his fingers twitching slightly.

"Thank you," she said as she lowered her gun, grabbed the back of his jacket and slammed him forward into the rim of the cage.

The resounding clang followed by the thump of a limp body was awfully satisfactory to the three in the barn.

"How the hell did you get him to do that?" Sam asked as he climbed out of the cage.

"It's a gift," she dismissed it with a shrug. "There's gotta be more than just him, right?"

"The kind of operation they're running? Bound to be," he stated, walking over to the control box and unlocking the Deputy's cage. "Are you okay?" he asked, rushing over to her.

She nodded as she climbed out. "I think it's a family," she said, not allowing Sam to coddle over her.

"That would explain a lot," Charlie agreed. "Like why the little girl wasn't scared when you were knocked out."

"Exactly. And if there's more of them then they'll come looking for him," she reasoned.

Sam nodded in agreement, the cogs in his mind working on what probably would have been a brilliant escape plan.

Charlie decided to input her plan before he had the chance. "Why don't we make this easy?" she suggested. "I'm just going to shoot the fuckers. I don't have to kill them- but I am going to shoot them. Any objections?" she asked, glancing between the two.

Sam and the Deputy looked to each other. "No," they answered together.

A bright smile spread across her face. "Great. Let's get him in the cage and head for high ground," she said, motioning to the unconscious man.

Sam jumped to at that, grabbing him under the arms and dragging him into the cage.

Charlie followed after him, grabbing the rifle and attempting to cock it. "Well that's shitty," she said when it jammed.

"That gonna be a problem?" the Deputy asked.

She shook her head. "No, but I would have liked some backup," she mused, glancing over to her. "I'm Charlie, by the way," she added.

The Deputy stood a little straighter and gave her a nod. "Kathleen," she introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Kathleen," Charlie said before handing over the rifle. "Head up to the hay loft, see if you can get that unjammed," she told her.

Kathleen hesitated for a moment but took the gun with a nod. "Alright," she agreed, stepping past her to climb up the ladder.

"We good, Sam?" she asked, turning her attention to him.

He nodded as he stepped back out of the cage. "He's clean. We're good," he answered, swinging the door closed. "Lock it."

Charlie stepped back to the control box, pressed the button and pulled the key. "D'you think he's okay?" she found herself asking.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "He always is," he answered. "Come on."

She nodded at that and moved to the ladder, making quick work of it. "Any luck?" she asked as she crouched next to Kathleen.

"Moron doesn't know how to take care of his gun," she stated, cocking the rifle with a smirk.

"Way to go, Kathleen," she praised with an impressed look.

Sam cleared his throat as he settled in beside Charlie. "You wouldn't happen to have another gun, would you?" he asked.

Charlie cocked an eyebrow. "I have a knife," she told him. "You want that?"

He shot her a look. "A knife?"

"Yeah," she said, reaching inside her jacket and pulling out a hunting knife almost as long as her forearm.

Sam's eyes shot wide and his mouth dropped open. "When would you ever need anything that big?" he demanded, taking it from her.

She shrugged innocently. "I don't like stabbing things more than once," she explained.

"I'm not hearing any of this," Kathleen spoke up.

The two Hunters shot her a smile before the sound of footsteps caught their attention. With guns raised they were ready for the two men that busted through the side door, rifles raise and attention on the cages.

Two different pitched gunshots rang through the barn, screams of pain soon following. As if they had done this before the Hunters and the Deputy made their way down to the floor of the barn, Charlie and Kathleen stepping in front of Sam with their weapons raised.

"Don't even think about it," Kathleen said as she approached the younger of the two, kicking the rifle he had been reaching for away.

Sam swooped down and grabbed the older man's discarded shotgun, unable to help but notice where his wound was located. "You shot him in the knee?" he asked, looking to Charlie.

Something close to a giggle left her. "I love the fact that you knew it was me," she stated, a wide smile spreading across her face.

He scoffed at that. "Jesus, Charlie."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sam, he hunts people," she defended.

Sam couldn't really argue with that and nodded his head to the side.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she mused. "I'm going to go find him. Will you help her with this?" she asked, gesturing to the writhing men in front of them.

"Yeah, yeah, go," he encouraged, already covering the older man.

Charlie flashed him a smile before taking off from the barn, the worry she had for Dean creeping back up. If they had caught him then why didn't they put him in one of the cages, they had two to spare. A part of her wanted to believe that they wouldn't just kill him, that they would realize it wouldn't be very sporting if they did. Then again she doubted that Dean would let himself be killed by something so ordinary as homicidal hill people. He'd die before he'd let that happen. Pun intended. She moved through the house with her gun at the ready. If they had him somewhere in the house they wouldn't have left him alone, even they couldn't be that stupid.

She found that she was right when she stepped out into a hallways and spotted a tied up Dean being guarded by what looked like Chucky's daughter. She couldn't help the burst of laughter that left her at that.

"Oh my God!" she gasped out, leaning against the wall to keep her upright.

Chucky's daughter spun around at the sound, a stricken look on her face. "Daddy! Daddy!" she called.

Charlie pulled in a calming breath before shaking her head. "Sorry, murder child, but your daddy's a little preoccupied at the moment," she stated, continuing down the hallway. "So I'm going to need you to step away from the hostage."

She sneered at that and lunged forward, lashing out with an appropriately sized knife.

Another laugh left Charlie as she reached out to grab the top of her head, keeping her well outside of the little girl's reach. She continued to laugh as the tiny Satan swung helplessly, frustrated screeches leaving her.

Dean shouted around his gag as he struggled against his binds. He seemed completely unamused by everything that was happening.

Charlie rolled her eyes at that and grabbed hold of the little girl's knife wilding arm and held it above her head. "I think someone needs a time out," she said, pulling the knife from her hand as she dragged her over to the hall closet. "Some nice police men will let you out later, okay?"

The screeches only seemed to grow louder once the door was closed on her, her tiny fists banging helplessly.

Charlie pulled a face as she broke the handle off. "Kind of affirms not wanting kids, huh?"

Dean grumbled against the gag in answer.

She chuckled as she walked over to him. "I gotta say, Honeybuns, I kind of like you all tied up," she teased, stepping behind him to untie the ropes. "We'll have to do this again."

He let out a hum as he nodded his head to the side.

"I really didn't think you would agree to that," she mused, untying his hands.

Dean practically jumped to his feet, rolling his shoulders as he went. "Where's Sammy?" he asked once he pulled his gag free.

"Right here!" the man in question shouted as he ran into the room.

Charlie couldn't help but smile as she watched the brothers embrace, awfully pleased by the display of emotion.

"You okay, Dean?" Sam asked, pulling away to look him over. "What the hell did they do?" he demanded, his attention on the burn mark on Dean's shoulder.

He shook him off. "It's nothin', man," he denied.

"I'll take a look at it later," Charlie assured Sam. "Where did you leave, Kathleen?"

"She's watching the others," he told her.

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "You think that's a good idea?"

Charlie scoffed. "She can handle herself."

"I know that," he stated, shooting her a look, "but the bastards killed her brother."

"You don't really think she'd-"

Sam was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of rifle fire.

Dean was the first to take off, Charlie and Sam following close behind him. They were halfway across the yard when Kathleen walked out of the barn.

"Where's the girl?" she asked once they were close enough.

"Locked in a closet," Charlie answered with a smirk. "Which one did you shoot?"

A hardened look swept over her face and she squared her shoulders. "The father. He tried to escape."

An understanding silence passed between the four of them.

* * *

**Sota Motel**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren and The Winchesters**

Nearly two hours later the hunters had finally made it back to their motel room, each of them armed with a greasy take-out bag from the closest drive-thru. Dean had stayed vigilant of his brother while they ate, watching for any little sign that his little brother wasn't as alright as he claimed to be. He paced when Sam was in the shower, a nervous tick that Charlie knew would do no good stopping. It wasn't until Sam was out cold that Dean finally relaxed.

Charlie let out a sigh and got to her feet, shuffling over to where Dean was sitting on the other bed. "Can I take care of your shoulder now?" she asked, holding her hand out in offer.

He glanced between her and Sam. "D'you have to?"

Seeing his hesitation she moved in front of him, blocking his view of Sam. "Dean," she said, reaching up to cup his face, "let me take care of you."

In that moment, looking up at her, he had never felt more like a child. "Mother hen complex, huh?" he asked, his voice a little weaker than he would have liked.

She ran her thumbs across his cheeks and gave him a soft smile. "You never let anyone take care of you. Not even Sam," she mused. "You can't blame me for wanting to."

He blinked slowly as he watched her. "But why would you want to?"

"That's a stupid question, honeybuns," Charlie chastised, patting his face before stepping away. "Don't make me force you," she told him, walking off into the bathroom.

Dean let out a sigh as he got up to follow her, a part of him thanking her for being as stubborn as he was. With one last look at Sam he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. "Where do you want me?" he asked, looking to her reflection.

She absently patted the counter next to her. "Hop up," she told him, her attention on the medical supplies in front of her.

Dean's eyebrows shot up but he complied all the same, hefting himself up onto counter. "So today was something special, huh?"

A humorless laugh left her. "That's for sure," she agreed. "I mean, there are Human serial killers all over the world but I've never actually ran into any. Which I find more surprising than there actually being a family that hunts people. Which is just as equally fucked up."

"Yeah, demons I get, people are just crazy," he agreed with a chuckle. "Shame about Jenkins though."

She let out a hum. "Unfortunately we can't save everyone," she said, turning her attention away from the supplies and looking to him. "Let's get those shirts off."

He grimaced as she pulled his flannel off, shifting this way and that to help her. "This isn't exactly how I pictured you taking my clothes off," he all but grumbled.

"I'm not complaining," she said, setting the shirt off to the side. "Raise your arms a little?" she requested.

He let out a grunt of pain as he did so, however, it was quickly forgotten when he felt her fingers skim across his skin, goosebumps raising in their trail. He ducked his head as she pulled it off, his amulet thumping back down against his chest.

She gave a sympathetic hiss of pain when she saw the full damage of the burn. "How did they do this?" she asked, tossing the T-shirt with the flannel as she stepped between his legs, gingerly reaching out to prod at it.

He craned his neck down to watch her, a look of mild concern on his face. "Pretty sure it was a fire poker," he answered.

"Damn," she muttered, running her finger along the edges of the burn. "Does it still hurt?"

Dean was about to answer in the positive but stopped himself when the pain suddenly faded. "Uh, not really," he said, sounding a little unsure. "That's weird."

She shrugged easily. "I wouldn't worry too much," she said, her fingertips tingling from small amount of healing she had gone. She would have liked to heal the whole thing but she had a feeling that Dean wouldn't take that quietly. "You've been through worse."

He let out a scoff of a laugh. "That's an understatement."

Charlie nodded as she wetted down one of the many cotton balls. "For future reference you really shouldn't use Hydrogen Peroxide," she stated, grabbing hold of the brown bottle.

His brow furrowed. "Why?"

"D'you want the long explanation or the short?" she asked as she poured a few drops onto the damp cotton.

Dean had decided a while ago that he liked hearing her ramble. "Long."

She couldn't help but smile at that. "Historically Hydrogen Peroxide was used for disinfecting wounds partly because of its low cost and prompt availability compared to other antiseptics. It's now thought to slow healing and cause scarring because it kills newly formed skin cells. Only a very low concentration of H2O2 can induce healing and only if not repeatedly applied," she explained, waving the cotton ball around.

"Easy there, sweetheart," he said, catching her hand with a chuckle. "D'you really think I'm worried about scars? We've used this stuff my whole life."

She rolled her eyes. "Just because you've used it your whole life doesn't make it right," she grumbled. "You know, if you take care of yourself the right way you'll last longer?"

He let out a defeated sigh. "How 'bout this, sweetheart, next time we do a supply run we'll grab something else, okay?" he asked. "What do we get?"

"Chlorhexidine Acetate," she answered without hesitation. "Or Chlorhexidine Gluconate if they don't have Acetate."

"You do know that I have no idea what that is, right?" he asked.

Her serious demeanor cracked with a small smile. "Sorry," she said, dabbing the cotton ball across the burn.

Dean had flinched, expecting the Hydrogen Peroxide to sting but was surprised to find that it didn't. "Don't worry about it," he said, keeping his confusion to himself. "Just, uh, just tell Sammy, he'll remember it."

"How 'bout I just write it down?" she countered, glancing up to him. "That way you don't have to reinforce Samwise's assumption that he's the smartest guy in the room."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that he's not aware of how smart you really are. Though it's not really his fault. You make a point of not showing it," she mused, tossing the cotton ball into the trash. "Either that or you don't think you're smart, which is ridiculous," she stated as she spread Neosporin across the bandage. "Because you're an incredibly intelligent person."

Dean's jaw clenched as he shifted uncomfortably, the urge to run from the bathroom almost overwhelming. "Charlie…."

She let out a frustrated sigh and pressed the bandage over his burn. "Alright, fine, but we're gonna have to start working on that self-esteem of yours," she muttered, tracing her fingers along the edge of the tape. "Because if you stick around me you're going to have to accept compliments."

"I wouldn't really call what you just said a compliment," he countered.

"That's because you've never been praised for anything other than your physical attributes," she rambled out. "I blame the Hunter communities hyper-focus on traditional masculinity. You know, if they put more stock into intellectual solutions rather than blind violence the world wouldn't be so black and white. Did you know that if-"

"Wow, sweetheart," he interrupted, reaching out to grab the closest thing to him; her hips. "If I promise to start taking compliments will you save the rest of that rant for tomorrow?" he requested, doing his best to copy his brother's puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, honeybuns," she all but cooed, reaching up to cup his face, "you really can't pull off that face," she told him, smooshing his cheeks forward to pucker his lips. "Now say peep peep."

Dean's face twisted into confusion. "Wha'?" he struggled out.

"Peep peep," she repeated.

He hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Pweep pweep."

Charlie couldn't help the peel of giggles that left her. "That was more adorable than I thought it would be," she said.

He rolled his eyes but didn't pull away from her, surprisingly tolerant to her teasing. "Shweetheart," he slurred out, his lips still puckered.

She giggled again before letting his face go back to normal. "Sorry, I couldn't help it," she apologized, running her thumbs across his cheeks.

A soft smile pulled at the corner of his lips. "Don't worry about it," he reassured her, his fingers flexing against her hips. "Whatever makes you happy."

Charlie cocked her head to the side. "And what about you?"

His eyes flicked to the bathroom door. "I'm feeling pretty happy right about now," he answered. "My brother's safe, we got the sons of bitches that took him, plus I've got a smart and beautiful woman standing in front of me," he said, flashing her a wink.

"I'm always a plus," she agreed, leaning closer to him, all too pleased with the fact that he had used 'smart' first. "I'm also the hero of the day."

He let out a laugh. "Is that so?"

She hummed in agreement. "I saved Sam and Kathleen from the cages and I saved you from the murder child," she listed off. "I think that makes me a pretty big damn hero."

"Would that make me the damsel in destress?"

"Could your ego handle that?"

He gave a small nod. "I think it could."

She was a little surprised by that. "Then you're the damsel in destress."

"You know," he started, his grip on her hips tightening slightly, "traditionally the hero gets a kiss from the damsel. As thanks for saving their life."

"Is that so?"

"Yep. So how bout it hero?" he asked, giving her a look that, if they had been in church, would have gotten him slapped. "Wanna make out?"

A snort of laughter left her. "Oh my God," she said, shaking her head. "If I wasn't into you that would have been a major turn off."

"Then it's a good thing you're into me, huh?"

"God help me," she said before leaning the rest of the way in.


	16. The Benders Part 6

**June 9th, 2006**

**Sota Motel**

**Hibbing, Minnesota**

**Charlie Warren and The Winchesters**

_Charlie's wrists and ankles throbbed against the biting metal of her shackles. She had been strapped to the table long enough to have lost track of time, the counting she had done in her head far from accurate. The single light that hung above her blinded her to her surroundings; though she suspected that she wasn't alone._

_"Hello, Charlotte."_

_The knee jerk swell of hope that came with the sound of her father's voice nearly overwhelmed her, her head shooting up to squint through the light to see him. She was disappointed when she found that she couldn't._

_"It's a shame about your sister."_

_Dread contaminated the hope and she slumped back against the table._

_"You're such a rare breed. Nephilim," he continued, his footsteps clicking against the stone floor. "I've never met one before, you see. Despite how long I've been in this world."_

_Her eyes burned with tears when he appeared over her, the loving face of her father tainted with dreaded yellow eyes._

_"I was so sure that you would have been the one to challenge my boy," he stated, looking over her as if to appraise her. "Imagine my surprise when little Courtney stepped up. I suppose you held the same weakness for Sammy that Dean does- sorry, did," he corrected himself, a twisted smile stretching across his face. "I've always had a problem with my tenses. Death is so quick, you know, there's hardly any time to adjust the vocabulary."_

_She clenched her jaw to keep the whimper down her throat, the tears already running from her eyes._

_"Aw, come on, dollface," he said, reaching out to wipe the tears away. "You can't break now. We haven't even gotten started yet."_

* * *

Charlie didn't wake as violently as she had the previous nights. She simply pulled in a deep breath and opened her eyes, the usual routine one has after a full nights rest. She wasn't sure if that meant she was getting used to the dreams or if the yellow-eyed demon possessing her father wasn't all that traumatizing.

At least her nose wasn't bleeding.

The alarm clock on the nightstand glowed 5:32 A.M. in red. A disappointed sigh left her when she realized she wasn't going back to sleep. If she was completely honest the situation could have been worse, though she would have liked to have been the big spoon again. Dean was curled around her with his arms wrapped around her waist. He had a leg hitched between hers, her cold toes pressed against his shins. She had left her hair down and he had buried his face into, his breath warming the back of her neck.

It was a peaceful thing that she couldn't enjoy. The urge to bounce her foot was quickly growing and she knew that if she didn't start moving she'd wake up Dean. With a little concentration she saw standing beside the bed, her sudden disappearance from Dean's arms didn't disturb him too much, the man simply shifting over onto his stomach. She glanced between the two men as she moved about the room, making sure that she didn't wake them as she collected a few of her things. She tip toed into the bathroom to change into her running clothes before sneaking out of the room all together. With her headphones in she took off down the sidewalk of Hibbing's main street. Charlie held a certain love for towns in the early morning hours. She had found that no matter what state you're in there's a certain charm that took over in the A.M. Courtney had likened it to the calm before a storm but Charlie had never seen it as something that potentially violent.

Over an hour later Charlie had looped around the town and was now panting in the parking lot of a diner not too far from the motel. She pulled in greedy breaths as she stretched out, nodding awkwardly at the breakfast goers as they passed her. Once she had managed to get her heartrate back to normal she headed into the diner, deciding that bringing breakfast back to the boys would probably be the best idea.

Charlie scanned the early birds as she walked to the counter, amusing herself with the thought that none of them even had a clue that there had been a family of serial killers living just a few miles away.

"Can I help you, hon?"

She flashed the waitress behind the counter a bright smile and stepped up to take one of the barstool. "D'you do take-away food?"

"Sure do!" she responded with far too much enthusiasm for the time of day.

Charlie did her best to look amused. "Great. Can I get…." she trailed off as she scanned the laminated menu sitting in front of her, "two orders of the pancakes with a side of fruits and the meat lovers special?"

The woman scribbled furiously on her notepad, nodding along. "Alright. Anything to drink?"

"Let's do two large black coffees and one large iced coffee," she decided, still a little too flushed from her run.

"You got it, hon. It's going to be a few minutes," she told her.

"That's fine. Thank you," Charlie said, already pulling out her phone and dialing her sister's number.

Courtney answered after a few rings._ "This is a much more reasonable hour," _she praised._ "I'm guessing everything worked out?"_

Charlie chuckled as she leaned against the counter. "You'll be pleased to know that you were right about Humans being assholes too," she told her.

_"Oooooh, to what extent?"_

"To the extent of an entire family playing the most dangerous game," she explained, glancing around her to make sure no one was listening in. "You know how I said the town has the highest missing persons per capita?"

_"Holy shit,"_ she whispered.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "You should have seen how many cars they had on the property. It was almost as bad as Bobby's. And let's just say that for their interior decorating they believe in using all of their kill."

_"Are you fucking kidding me?"_ she asked.

"Wish I was. You wanna know one of the more fucked up things?"

_"Of course."_

"There was a daughter, couldn't have been more 10," she explained. "As far as I could tell she was completely immersed in the family traditions. It's going to take years of therapy and heavy medication before that girl is right in the head. If that's even going to be an option for her."

_"Jesus Christ,"_ she sighed. _"I swear, Human's do more psychological damage to others then the things we hunt do. What the hell is wrong with people?"_

Charlie shrugged. "Inbreeding?"

_"Probably. How's Jolly Green?"_

"He actually came out of this thing pretty okay," she answered. "Few bumps and bruises but nothing too serious. Dean's the one that actually managed to get hurt."

_"What happened?"_

"He managed to get himself knocked out and taken captain. Took a hot fire poker to the shoulder before I got there."

_"I guess it could have been worse,"_ she mused._ "He's lucky they didn't eat him."_

"He asked 'em not to make him into an ashtray."

She laughed at that. _"That's Johnny Bravo for you."_

Charlie hummed in agreement. "Mom's spell worked great, by the way," she added, once again glancing around to make sure that no one was listening. "I got a killer headache but it worked."

_"Did you get the seal drawn okay?"_

Charlie couldn't tell if she was actually curious or if she was teasing. "It took me a little while but I got it," she answered. "I almost took a picture of it to send you. You'd probably be proud."

_"I'm always proud when you manage to draw something."_

Charlie scoffed. "Wow, thanks."

_"You know I love you."_

"Uh-huh, sure," she mused, flashing the waitress a smile when she spotted her walking over. "Hey, I have to go, but I'll call you later, okay?"

_"Okay. Say hi to the boys for me."_

"Will do. Bye," said before hanging up.

The waitress, Lilly according to her name tag, set a Thank You bag and a drink carrier onto the counter. "There you go, hon," she said, reaching into her pocket to pull out the ticket. "That's gonna be, $32.50."

Charlie got up from the stool to pull out the bill she had shoved into her back pocket. "Keep the change," she told her, handing it over.

Lilly hesitated to take it. "Are you sure?"

She fluttered the hundred dollars at her. "Hell yeah," she answered. "Go on, take it."

A surprised laugh left her as she did just that. "Thank you."

"Well, anyone as pleasant as you this early in the morning deserves a little something something, you know?" she asked, giving her a wink as she grabbed the bag and the carrier. "Have a nice day."

"You too!" Lilly called after as Charlie headed out of the door.

Charlie had an actual smile on her face as she started down the sidewalk, taking stock of the people that were now out and about, seeing if any of them gave hints to this not being just any other morning. She was once again amused to find that nobody still didn't have a clue.

A few minutes later she was walking into the motel room, a little less careful about being quiet as she had before. She wasn't surprised to find that the two men exactly where she had left them, blissfully unconscious.

She set herself up the same way she had the day before, her laptop up and running in front of her while she worked through her food. She scanned through her research for the Shape Shifter bandage before getting frustrated all over again and switching topics. She was thirteen minutes into her research of the families that kill together when Sam shot up in bed, scaring the shit out of her.

"Jesus, Sam, you okay?" she asked, twisting around in the chair to watch him.

He pulled in unsteady breaths as he scanned the room for whatever danger had plagued him during sleep. "Uh, yeah," he answered, clearing his throat and rubbing a hand across his eyes. "I'm okay."

That did nothing to ease her concern. "Are you sure?" she pressed.

A weak chuckle left him. "You sound like Dean."

She arched an eyebrow. "So this happens a lot?"

He pulled a face when he realized what he had just given her. "No more than usual," he brushed off before looking her over. "Did you go running?"

She soured at the change of subject. "Yes."

"Little early isn't it?" he accused.

She gave him a pointed look. "No more than usual."

His annoyance broke with a small smile.

Charlie smiled back. "I got you coffee if you want it," she offered.

Sam perked up at that and climbed out of bed, his long legs making quick work of the walk across the room. "Thanks, Charlie," he said as he pulled one of the to-go cups free of the carrier.

"There's food too if you're hungry," she added, spinning back around and turning her attention back to her laptop. "I got you the same as mine. Pancakes and fruit."

Sam paused mid-sip and looked down at her. "You got me fruit?"

"If you don't want it I'll eat it," she told him.

"No, no, I want it," he assured her. "It's just-Dean never gets fruit."

Charlie let out a snort. "Why do you think I got him the meat lovers special?"

Sam chuckled as he reached into the bag and pulled out his food. "He always scoffs when I get anything healthy," he said, taking the seat next to her.

She glanced up at him. "I could explain the psychological reason behind that if you'd like."

"I think it's a little early for that," he told her.

"Eh, probably," she agreed, shoving a fork of pancake into her mouth. "Court says hi, by the way," she mused, her voice muffled from the food.

"Oh yeah? Where she at?"

"In Scotland with Godfrey."

His eyebrows shot up. "Scotland?"

She nodded. "They're at an auction trying to track down a family heirloom," she explained. "She didn't say anything about it so I don't think it's going too well."

"What kind of heirlooms would a family of exorcists have?"

She shook her head. "Not our family; Godfrey's," she corrected. "Apparently there was a great-great-great aunt who sold a handful of things to settle a gambling debt. He's been tracking them down for years."

"Huh. Has he found any?"

She thought of all the actual heirlooms that Godfrey had and nodded. "He's found a sword, a kilt pin, and I think there's a spoon too."

"A spoon?"

She shrugged it off. "I've stopped trying to understand."

He laughed at that and started in on his food. "Thanks for this."

"You're welcome," she mumbled, a little distracted by the article she was reading over. "You know that having nightmares doesn't make you less or more of something, right?"

Sam's chewing slowed as he glanced over at her.

She took his silence as a good sign. "Nightmares are just your subconscious reaction to stress. Some Psychologists believe that they're supposed to help people work through traumatic events. Though I've always found them more confusing than helpful in all honesty."

"How often do you have them?" he asked, his voice a little quieter.

Charlie sighed. "Well, I've had one every night for the past three days," she said, "which I'm going to blame you for."

Sam grimaced. "Sorry."

"I'm just teasing," she said, flashing him a smile. "I've been having these dreams that I call Biblical Bullshit. I've got a lot of religion knocking around in my head for my subconscious to play with."

He gave her a concerned look. "You don't think they mean anything?"

"They better not," she grumbled. "Or we're in for some seriously fucked up shit."

He huffed out of a laugh. "Like what?"

Dean's lifeless body and Sam's black eyes flashed in her head. She flinched at it and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Let's just say that it's not pretty."

He accepted that and took another bite of food. "I don't have them as often as I used to," he told her.

Charlie smiled at that. "That's good," she said.

He nodded. "I must be getting used to the life again."

She knew that to Sam that wasn't a good thing, that getting used to this life meant the one he had before would become foreign. She decided that instead of telling him how it would probably keep him alive she reached out and patted his shoulder.

Sam gave her a soft smile in return.

"D'you think I should wake sleeping beauty?" she asked, gesturing back to Dean. "Before his food gets colder?"

Sam chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, you better."

Charlie grabbed the remaining to-go cup and headed over to the slumbering man. She perched on the side of the bed and ran her free hand through his hair. "Honeybuns, wake up," she whispered.

He groaned and pressed his face further into the pillow.

She smiled and leaned down a little closer. "I got you coffee."

Dean twisted his head back towards her, his eyebrow raised as he peeked up at her.

Charlie held it up for him to see. "Do you want it?" she asked.

He watched her for a moment before letting out another groan. He pushed himself up and twisted against the mattress, almost curling around her again. "The Hell are you wearing?" he asked, his voice grouchy with sleep.

She rolled her eyes. "Running clothes," she answered, holding the cup out to him.

He gave her a skeptical look. "You went running?" he asked, taking the cup. "What time is it?"

"Just after 7," she answered.

"Jesus," he grunted, sipping a the coffee. "When did you get up?"

She hesitated in telling him. "5:30."

He gave her a look of disbelief and went to comment when something seemed to occur to him. "Another dream?" he asked.

She nodded her head to the side.

Concern pulled at his face as his eyes went a little soft. "You get another nosebleed?"

"No. It wasn't as bad as the others," she mused.

"Good. I hate seeing you bleed," he said nonchalantly before taking another sip. "Where's Sammy?"

"Eating breakfast."

Dean perked up at that. "There's food?"

"Course there's food," she laughed. "I got you the meat lovers special."

"Damn, sweetheart," he said as he sat the rest of the way up. "You keep spoiling me like this I'm not gonna let you leave."

She chuckled at that and shook her head. "It's cute that you think you could take me. Come on, your foods getting cold," she told him, patting his knee before getting up to retake her seat, doing her best to ignore Sam's knowing smirk.

"How you feeling, little brother?" Dean asked, pulling himself up from the bed.

Sam turned his smirk to him. "I'm fine. How's your shoulder?"

Dean rolled it out of reflex. "Charlie took care of it last night," he answered, shuffling over to drop down into the seat next to her. "Has the news gotten hold of it yet?" he asked, pulling his food from the bag.

Charlie shook her head. "Nope. The Sheriff's department must be keeping a pretty tight lid on it. It's like any other day out there," she said, nodding to the hotel door. "Though I'm going to keep tabs on it, see what they come up with."

"I still can't believe they were just people," Sam mused, shaking his head.

"I'll say it again, demons I get, people are just crazy," Dean said, popping his container open.

Charlie hummed in agreement. "I'll give them one thing, they weren't sloppy," she said. "With the way they handled the bodies, keeping everything in the house, no one would suspect them. Even if someone did manage to get a look inside they would have to get a search warrant, and that's if they make it out of there at all. I mean, they had scrapbooks filled of polaroid's, they've probably been killing people for generations. Who knows how long they would have kept going if we hadn't of gotten involved."

Sam gave his brother a pointed look. "Should we be worried that she sounds impressed?"

Dean shook his head as he chewed. "Nah, she's fine," he dismissed.

"I'm not completely impressed," she defended. "I'm disappointed in some of the things they did."

"Disappointed?" he repeated with a laugh. "Like what?"

"Like them not putting trackers on you and Jenkins," she answered with a shrug. "What if one of you had managed to get away? Were they resolved to accepting their fate of being caught or did they have precautions set up? Were they drugging the food or were there traps set up around the property?" she rambled, shaking her head. "They didn't strike me as a family who was willing to take risks, even for the sake of the hunt. Which is why they must have been watching him when they let him out but there's still a risk that he wouldn't have taken the easiest way. Why would they risk it?"

Sam watched her for a moment before clearing his throat. "That's another thing," he stated, "how did you know about that? About Jenkins?"

She gave a small shrug. "Just a little magic," she answered.

"What kind of magic?" he pressed.

She thought about it for a moment. "I guess you could call it a more focused form of astral projection," she explained. "It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Normally there are complications when I meditate."

Dean attention snapped to her. "Normally there are complications?" he questioned. "Charlie, you said you'd be fine."

"Yeah, if I didn't fuck it up," she agreed. "And I didn't so I'm fine."

Anger flashed across his face. "Dammit, Charlie."

"What?" she asked, suddenly feeling defensive. "I'm fine. Sam's fine. Everything turned out fine. So just eat your food and be happy."

Sam resisted the urge to laugh at the look on his brother's face and decided to get the conversation back on topic. "So, you can astral project?"

Charlie turned her attention back to Sam, a triumphant smirk on her face. "Yeah, but Courtney's better at it than I am," she stated. "It took me two hours to get five minutes in your head, it wouldn't have taken her half that."

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean 'in my head'?" he asked, glancing over to Dean who shrugged.

"What do you think focused astral projection is?" she asked, a little amused.

He simply shrugged.

"Hang on," she said, getting up from the table and heading over to her bag. She dug through it for a moment before pulling out a leather bound book. She returned to her seat and flipped through it, finding the page she wanted and handed it over to Sam. "That's the spell," she told him.

He took the book with care and read over the page, fascination taking over him when he realized just how old book was.

Dean had tilted his head to get a look at the cover. "Is that a Grimoire?" he asked, eyeing the pentagram.

Charlie nodded with a smile. "My mother was a Witch hunter," she explained. "She collected spells she thought would come in handy, and if you collect spells without a Grimoire you're just asking to get fucked over."

"I've never actually seen a Grimoire before," Sam said, holding the book a little more carefully.

"You can look through it," she told him. "Just don't read any of the Latin," she warned with a pointed look. "Even in your head. Some of those spells don't really care how they get used."

Surprise pulled at his face but he nodded all the same. "Right. Sure."

She chuckled at that. "Anyway, the spell takes your consciousness and places it into you target's," she explained. "You don't really have control, you're just kind of along for the ride. Though it was weird how our five minute connection was the five minutes of Jenkins' death but questioning the universe gives me a headache so I'm just going to accept it."

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "You're not going to question it? You?"

She scoffed. "I'm not that bad,"

"Yes you are," he said.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a strip of his bacon.

"Hey," he complained, reaching out to take it back.

Charlie smacked his hand away as she took a bite, a smirk pulling at her lips.

Dean couldn't help but smirk back.

"There's a spell in here that turns people inside out," Sam stated, ripping his attention from the book to give Charlie a look of amazement.

A look of slight panic crossed her face. "Careful with that one," she warned. "You'll be inside out before you even realize it."

"It's to turn yourself inside out?" he asked, looking like he wanted to drop the book.

Charlie took it from him carefully, flashing him a reassuring smile. "No, but it will if you don't know what you're doing," she explained. "Most spells don't really care about the casters intended purpose, they just kind of do their own thing."

He eyed her as she closed the book. "And you've never had a problem with magic before?"

She shrugged. "I've never turned myself inside out but I've set myself on fire more than a few times," she mused, setting the book on her lap.

A snort of laughter left Dean. "You've set yourself on fire?"

"Shut up," she said, smacking his shoulder. "I'd like to see you do magic and not fuck it up."

He held his hands up in surrender.

"Asshole," she said, reaching up to push his head away.

"You love me," he said.

It was her turn to laugh. "Yeah, like a lost puppy," she agreed, making a point to ruffled his hair.

Dean leaned into her touch like he always did, the cocky expression on his face softening slightly.

Sam looked between the two of them, utterly amused by their interaction.

The peaceful moment was disturbed by the shrill ring of a phone. All three hunters jumped and grabbed for their own, checking to see if it was theirs. Of course, it was Charlie's.

"Warren," she answered, not having recognized the number.

_"Hey, sweetheart."_

The smile that spread across her face almost hurt. "Hey, Dad! New number?"

Sam and Dean glanced to each other then looked away, neither of them wanting to admit the spike of jealously they felt.

_"Yeah, I lost the old one on my last hunt. Damn Werewolves have no respect for personal property,"_ he grumbled with a huff. _"So what have you been up to, kiddo?"_

Charlie slumped back in her seat with a laugh. "Well, I finished up a Ghoul hunt in Duluth on Tuesday, and I've spend the last three days in Hibbing's helping out the Winchester boys," she told him, flashing the brothers a smile.

_"John's boys, huh? Court, said you guys were getting friendly with them. You playing nice?"_

She scoffed at that. "What kind of a question is that? Of course I'm playing nice."

A bark of laughter left Dean at that.

Charlie shot him a look and smacked his shoulder.

Nathan chuckled, having heard the laugh. _"Sweetheart, what have I told you about being nice to your friends?"_

"I never had any friends, Dad," she argued, pulling a face when she realized how bad that sounded. "Don't comment on that," she said, more to the Winchester's than to her father.

_"Well, I'm glad that you have some now,"_ Nathan said, sounding almost proud. _"Court said they're nothing like John?"_

She hummed in agreement and glanced up to Dean. "Do you think I would be here if that weren't true?" she asked, carful to word it so they wouldn't be suspicious.

Nathan let out a huff of approval. _"I like them already."_

Her smile grew. "I think you would like Honeybuns and Samwise," she mused, doing her best to ignore the sour looks that both men shot her.

_"Honeybuns and Samwise?"_ he asked with a laugh. _"Do I want to know how they got those nicknames?"_

"Sam's nickname is pretty straight forward," she stated, winking at the man in question.

_"Samwise Gamgee."_

"Right," she agreed. "And I was already calling Dean 'honey' but then he flashed me in a hospital gown so naturally it became 'honeybuns," she explained, unable to help but notice the slight blush that appeared on Dean's cheeks.

_"Naturally."_

"What can I saw? The man has an ass that won't quit."

Dean choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken.

_"You know, Charlie, as your father that makes me a little uncomfortable."_

She let out a snort of laughter. "You know, Nathan, as your daughter I feel that it's my job to make you uncomfortable," she informed him. "Have I accomplished that?"

_"Amazingly. Equally amazing, this isn't what I called about."_

Charlie's smile dropped slightly. "This isn't a social call?" she asked, attempting to keep the disappointment from her voice.

He let out a sigh._ "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but not really,"_ he answered._ "I've got something I think you might be interested in."_

"Interested as in Academically or interested as in Hunting?"

_"A bit of both actually. Do you want to know the details?"_

Charlie considered it for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Sure."

_"Broken Bow, Nebraska,"_ he started, the sound of shuffling papers accompanying him, _"there's some pretty suspicious activity going on."_

"What kind of suspicious?"

_"Revenant suspicious,"_ he answered._ "Nothing's been 100% confirmed but Father Richards has called me at least four times yesterday about it."_

Charlie would be lying if she said she wasn't interested. "Father Richards huh?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't call just about anything. "Okay, yeah, I'll go check it out."

_"Thank you, sweetheart,"_ he sighed. _"When do Court and Godfrey get back?"_

"Well, it's a week-long auction so they've got a few more days till they're back in the states," she explained, a combing a hand through her hair.

_"Have they found anything?"_

"No, nothing yet," she answered.

_"Wish I could say that surprises me but it was a long shot to begin with."_

Charlie hummed in agreement. "But it's better than nothing."

_"I suppose that's true,"_ he allowed with another huff. _"Let me know if you hear anything, alright?"_

Her smile twitched and she dipped her head. "You know I will."

_"Yeah, you've always been good like that. Listen, I'll let you go but I love you and I want you to stay safe."_

She cleared her throat and nodded. "I love you too," she said, her voice a little softer. "Don't do anything too stupid okay?"

_"Will do, sweetheart. Talk to you later."_

"Bye, Dad," she said before hanging up. "Guess who's going to Broken Bow, Nebraska?" she asked, looking up to the brothers.

Sam gave her a curious look. "Why is he sending you there?" he asked.

"Something about a possible Revenant," she answered with a shrug. "A family friend called it in so I'm just going to go down and check it out."

Dean cleared his throat and fixed her with a look. "That's great, sweetheart, but did you really have to say something about my ass to your dad?"

Charlie beamed over at him. "Oh, honeybuns, I tell everyone about your ass," she told him, leaning over to kiss his cheek before getting up from the table to start collecting her things.

* * *

Charlie strapped her last bag to the back of her bike and turned towards the two waiting men. With a bright smile she stepped forward and threw her arms around Sam's neck, stretched all the way up onto her tippy toes. "I'm glad you weren't hunted and eaten, Samwise," she said, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

He chuckled at that and hugged her back. "I'm glad too, Charlie," he said, utterly amused by the whole thing.

"Now, I don't want to get a call about you going missing for at least a week, okay?" she requested, pulling back to look up at him.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, nodding along like he had any control over that.

She gave him a wink before turning her attention to Dean. "Honeybuns," she said a smirk on her face.

Dean responded in kind. "Sweetheart."

Her arms slipped underneath his button up and wound around his waist, pulling her flush against him. "Would it be terrible of me if I said we should do this again?"

Dean smiled at that. "Not as terrible as me saying we should," he answered, his hands sliding across her hips as he leaned closer to her.

She closed the distance between them, keeping in mind that Sam was watching them with wide eyes. She went to pull back but Dean followed her, an amused chuckle leaving her.

Dean felt a little selfish. While her affections were given willingly something in him always chastised himself for accepting it. In moments like these though, when she was leaving and he didn't know when he'd see her again, he ignored those feelings and let himself indulge a little.

Sam was almost amused by the whole thing, the public display of affection affirming what he already knew. Didn't make him any less uncomfortable though. He cleared his throat and made a point to look away from them.

Charlie broke away from Dean with a smile. "Little sibling always ruin the fun, don't they?" she asked, sliding her hands down his back to grab his ass.

He laughed when she squeezed, his body rocking into hers. "Sammy doesn't believe in fun," he told her.

Sam let out a scoff.

She laughed at that and leaned up to give him a chaste kiss before stepping completely away from him. "I hope to see you boys soon," she said, moving over to her bike. "Despite the constant threat of death I like hanging out with you two."

"Yeah, it's a blast," Sam agreed, the sarcasm thick.

She smirked as she threw her leg over the bike and grabbed her helmet.

"Be careful, Charlie," Dean said, that appreciative look back on his face at seeing her on the bike.

"Only if you are," she said as she pulled it on. With the turn of the key she started the ignition, the engine roaring to life.

The brothers' bones shook as she took off through the parking lot and onto the main road.

Sam shook his head. "She is going to eat you alive."

"God, I hope so," Dean said, a smirk on his face as he walked back into the hotel room.

* * *

**I'm stuck on my other stuff so I'm putting time into this fic again. Sorry about the gap in the updates, I don't really have an excuse. **

**Let me know what you think! **

**Reviews=Love**


	17. Home Sweet Home

**June 12th, 2006**

**Arrow Inn**

**Brokwn Bow, Nebraska **

**Charlie Warren**

Almost as if it was her default setting Charlie found herself exhausted. While the Inn she had managed to find was pleasantly pleasant she still wanted to be home in her own bed. She had even considered hightailing it out of town and making the 24 hour long drive just to get to said bed, but saner minds prevailed. After what failed to be a relaxing shower she resided herself to sleep. It wasn't till she laid awake for an hour that she decided to call him.

_"Charlie?" _he answered after the fourth ring.

She grimaced at how sleep thick his voice was. "Shit, I didn't even think about the time," she said, rubbing a hand across her eyes. "Go back to sleep. Forget I called."

He let out a grouchy chuckle. _"That's not how it works, sweetheart, and you know it," _he stated. _"Is everything okay?" _

"Do you really want to talk about it?" she asked.

_"Charlie, how many times have we talked about my issues?" _he countered.

"Alright, but this might take a while," she warned him."

_"That's fine, just give me a minute," _he told her, the sound of rustling covers and squeaking bed springs following after. _"I don't wanna wake Sammy." _

"Sorry," she apologized with a grimace.

_"Don't say that. You don't have anything to be sorry for." _

A soft laugh left her at that and she smiled up at the ceiling.

The click of a door sounded before he spoke. _"Go ahead, sweetheart." _

She let out a sigh, the relief he had given her fleeting. "You know what a Revenant is, right?"

_"Yeah, living, breathing ghost," _he answered. _"Only way to get rid of them is to bury 'em or help 'em with their unfinished business." _

"Right," she agreed, pulling in a deep breath. "Have you ever, uh..." she trailed off, struggling to find a way to word it. "Handled a child's ghost?"

Dean was quiet for a moment. _"Your Revenant was a child?" _

She hummed in agreement. "Lucy Dally. She was ten."

_"Jesus," _he breathed. _"What happened?" _

"I'm going to read you the newspaper report, alright?" she asked, already leaning over to grab the file she had made about the case.

_"Alright." _

She cleared her throat as she sat up, shuffling through the papers till she found it. "'On May 31st the body of ten year old Lucy Dally was found in the pond of Melham Park. The search for her began when she failed to return home after a playdate with friends. 'Despite her age she's a responsible girl', he father, Jefferson Dally stated. 'The park is just down the road and she's never been late. Never.' Coroner's report stated that the little girl had drowned, a tragic accident considering that Lucy was known for being a strong swimmer'," she read. "She won ribbons in local swimming competitions, Dean," she told him. "She wasn't wearing her swimsuit and the pond was less than two feet deep around the edges, even if she fell in it wouldn't have killed her."

He grunted in agreement. _"What really happened?"_

"Her father drowned her," she answered, doing her best to keep her voice even. "He knew what time she would be walking back, met her half way and took her back to the park after she'd separated from her friends. It was around dinner time so no one was in the park. Apparently a few weeks before his wife had ran off, left him and Lucy. He somehow got it in his head that Lucy was the problem, and that if he got rid of her then the wife would come back."

_"Son of a bitch," _he cursed, an edge to his voice. _"Tell me you nailed that asshole to the wall." _

"I may have done some shady things to get him to confess but yeah, I got the fucker," she answered.

_"It doesn't matter what you did, you were helping a kid." _

She wasn't to sure about that. "After he turned himself in Lucy moved on," she mused. "She just smiled, said 'thank you' and disappeared."

_"Why don't you sound happy about that?" _

She slumped down against the headboard with a sigh. "I'm happy that she moved on and that her dad's getting what he deserves but it makes me sick that it happened at all," she explained.

_"I know," _he sympathized. _"I wish there was an explanation for why people do fucked up things but there isn't. There's no patterns, no rituals, no omens." _

"Sometimes I think we've got the easier job," she admitted. "I don't know what I'd do if I hunted Human monsters."

_"It's just another kind of evil." _

She let out a rather loud groan and flopped sideways onto the pillows. "Sometimes I really hate the world."

_"I know, sweetheart," _he said, his voice soft once again. _"Are you going to be okay?" _

"Yeah," she answered with a sigh. "I might not sleep for awhile but I'll be okay."

_"You've gotta sleep," _he argued. _"You don't sleep, you'll get sloppy and you'll get yourself killed." _

She snorted at that. "Your confidence in me is staggering," she told him.

_"It's the truth. I don't want you getting killed because you're tired." _

A humorless chuckle left her. "Aw, honeybuns, you are just too sweet," she teased, smiling despite herself.

Dean chuckled back. _"Only for you." _

Her smile widened as she pressed her face into her pillow. "Thanks for this, Dean. Normally I'd talk to Courtney but..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I called you."

_"I'm glad you did. I like our late night talks," _he admitted.

"I do too," she mused. "I don't know why, but I do."

_"'cause I'm awesome, that's why." _

She couldn't help but laugh, the sound almost startling.

_"Jeez, sweetheart, you're gonna wake the whole neighborhood." _

"Sorry, sorry," she chuckled. "I must be more out of it than I thought."

_"Well, you should be able to sleep then, huh?" _he asked, sounding almost smug. _"Promise me you'll sleep." _

"I promise I'll sleep," she told him, already moving herself down the bed so she could lay down. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I should have checked the time."

_"I told you not to worry about that," _Dean reminded her. _"Besides, you didn't complain when I called you at 3." _

"That's different."

_"It's really not." _

She resisted the urge to argue. "Alright, fine," she allowed, pulling the covers back up around her. "Was there anything you wanted to talk about?"

He was quiet for a moment. _"Nothing that'll keep me up at night," _he decided. _"But you'll be the first person I'll call when there is." _

"I better be otherwise this whole support system is pointless."

_"I wouldn't really call it a support system," _he said, his tone a little hesitant.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a support system, Dean, deal with it."

_"Whatever you say, sweetheart." _

"Damn straight," she agreed.

Dean chuckled before letting out a yawn. _"Ugh, damn." _

"Oh, honeybuns, I'm gonna let you go back to sleep," she said, the guilt of having woken him coming back. "Thanks again for talking to me."

_"Of course, sweetheart. Glad I could help." _

"Sweet dreams, Dean."

_"Sweet dreams, Charlie." _

* * *

**June 13th, 2006**

**Bridgeport, CT**

**The Warrens and Godfrey**

For Courtney, Godfrey's house was the only home she knew. Having been only 4 when left in the care of the Scotsman, memories of her childhoods home were rare. Most of them were just flashes that she couldn't make sense of. Though any memories of her grandparents' house from her youth were remembered in vivid technicolor, she was never really sure why that was. She found it a little sad that she could navigate the thirty plus room house better than she could remember what her old room looked like.

"Home sweet home," she sighed as her and Godfrey came in from the garage.

"While I do love the homeland I like it much better here," Godfrey said, bustling past her to set his bag by the foot of the stairs. "I'm goin' to go make a lovely cup of tea. Would you like one, my darlin?" he asked, spinning around to give her a wide smile.

She smiled back. "Yes please."

He nodded happily and glanced towards the stairs. "You don' suppose Charlie would like one?" he questioned.

"Well, seeing as she calls tea dirt water I'd venture a guess and say no," she said. "Though she'd probably appreciate coffee."

Godfrey let out a distressed sound. "'s not dirt water," he defended. "One day we're goin' to tie her down and make her drink a cup," he stated, spinning back around and storming off towards the kitchen.

Courtney chuckled as she started up the stairs to the second floor, intent of tracking down her sister. She was halfway down the hall when she heard a guitar.

**I keep a close watch on this heart of mine**

**I keep my eyes wide open all the time **

**I keep the ends out for the tie that binds**

**Because you're mine, I walk the line**

"Oh my God," she muttered when she recognized the song.

**I find it very, very easy to be true**

**I find myself alone when each day is through **

**Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you**

**Because you're mine, I walk the line **

She was pleased to find that the door labeled 'Keep Out' was open, giving her the advantage of not spooking her sister. Leaning in the doorway she found Charlie laying on the floor, the guitar in hand and her feet up on her bed.

**As sure as night is dark and day is light**

**I keep you on my mind both day and night **

**And happiness I've known proves that it's right **

**Because you're mine, I walk the line **

Charlie was blissfully unaware of her sister watching her, her eyes closed and her foot bouncing along with the song.

**You've got a way to keep me on your side**

**You give me cause for love that I can't hide**

**For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide**

**Because you're mine, I walk the line **

**I keep a close watch on this heart of mine **

**I keep my eyes wide open all the time **

**I keep the ends out for the tie that binds**

**Because you're mine, I walk the line **

After a few more strums the song was over and Courtney was applauding. "I leave you alone for a few days and you're singing love songs," she teased, smiling down at her sister.

Charlie craned her neck around to look towards the door, a smile of her own on her face. "Is it a love song?" she questioned.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Of course it's a love song," she answered, stepping into the room and dropping down onto the bed. "I might not be as obsessed with him as you are but I know why he wrote that song."

Charlie set her guitar aside and sat up. "Just because that's why he wrote the song doesn't mean that's why I'm singing it," she pointed out.

Courtney raised an eyebrow. "Are you singing it because of Dean?"

She scoffed at that and shoved Courtney's head into the mattress. "I'm not going to sing love songs in my room or write his name on my binder. I'm not a love sick teenager."

Giggles escaped her. "I don't know, you're acting a little love sick," she argued. "What with the whole shirt incident."

"I like the shirt, sure me," she defended.

"I think you like the guy who wears the shirt."

"Well, you're entitled to your opinion, even if it is stupid," Charlie told her, getting up from the floor to put her guitar away. "How was Scotland?"

Courtney allowed the change of topic with a laugh. "Remember when I said that I didn't know what Scotland was?"

"Yeah?"

"I still don't know."

Charlie busted up at that, her laughter echoing around the room before Courtney joined in with her. Unfortunately they were interrupted by the ringing of Courtney's phone.

She pulled it free from her pocket and checked the caller ID. "It's John," she stated before answering. "Hey."

_"Are you back home?" _

She decided not to comment on his lack of greeting. "Yeah, we just got back."

_"I'll be there in an hour," _he stated before hanging up.

Courtney pulled her phone back to glare at it. "Well, he's going to be here in an hour."

"Are you shitting me?" Charlie asked, her elated mood disappearing.

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Uuuuuuugh," Charlie groaned. "Why does he have to come here? Can't we meet him in a bar somewhere?"

Courtney snorted. "Yeah, because a drunk John is exactly what the situation needs."

"At least he'd be easier to ditch."

"We're not getting rid of him, Charlie," she pointed out.

Charlie waved her off. "I know, I know," she said before letting out a sigh. "Should we make dinner? Maybe if we feed him he won't be so much of an ass."

"You hate the man but you're willing to feed him?"

"Feeding someone and manipulating them with food are two different things," Charlie pointed out. "I might even make him a cake, that's how serious I am."

Courtney did her best not to smile. "Well then we better get started."

* * *

**Bridgeport, CT**

**The Warrens, Godfrey and John Winchester**

True to his word John showed up an hour after he called, damp from the rain and twice as disgruntled as usual. He shuffled into the kitchen and dropped down into one of the chairs at the oak table. None of them could deny how tired he looked or how relieved he seemed to be with just sitting still.

The girls worked together to get the food on the table, Courtney even going as far as to make John a plate.

"Thank you," he mumbled when she set it in front of him, looking down at the steaming bowl of chili and piece of cornbread. "This looks amazing."

They would be lying if they said they weren't surprised by his somber demeanor, neither of them really knowing what to say.

Courtney cleared her throat as she dished out her own bowl. "So, how was the drive up here?" she asked.

A rumble of a laugh left him. "You don't have to do that, Courtney," he told her, flashing her a smile. "Small talk has never lead anywhere good with us."

"He's not wrong," Charlie mused around a mouthful of cornbread. "Remember when we asked him about the weather?"

That earned her a glare from Courtney. "We agreed not to talk about that anymore."

She held her hands up in surrender. "Yes we did," she agreed. "I apologize for bringing it up."

Courtney gave an appreciative nod. "Thank you."

John hummed in agreement as he took a spoonful of chili. "This really is good, girls," he complimented.

Courtney look the compliment while Charlie just stared at him.

He looked between them, the half-smile he had been working on dropped down. "Is it poisoned?" he asked.

Charlie pulled a face. "What? No. Why?"

"'cause you're watching me like you expect me to keel over," he answered. "What is it?"

She glanced to her sister before leaning towards John. "You're being pleasant," she explained. "It's kind of freaking me out."

His worried look quickly turned to one of amusement. "My pleasantness is freaking you out?"

She nodded.

"Would you feel better if I insulted you?"

Charlie thought for a moment before nodding again. "You know what? I think I would."

"Okay," he agreed, nodding his head to the side. "Your cornbread is a little dry."

She straightened up at that, an offended look on her face. "Huh. I do feel better. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Courtney shook her head at the exchange. "There's something seriously wrong with you two," she mused.

"You're just now figuring that out?" John asked.

"No," she sighed, slumping down in her chair. "I was just hoping I was imagining things."

Charlie chuckled and took a bit of the cornbread, a frown pulling at her face as she chewed. "It is dry," she stated.

"I told you," John mused.

She flipped him off and took another bite.

"So where's Godfrey?"

"I think he's cussing out the guy who gave us the auction lead," Courtney answered, glancing over to John.

"So the auction was a bust, huh?"

She let out a humorless laugh. "As far as The Colt? Yeah, it was a bust," she agreed. "But we found a Dybbuk box."

"You didn't tell me that," Charlie said, honestly looking a little hurt.

She shrugged. "It wasn't that important," she dismissed. "You can look at it later. Point is, The Colt wasn't in Scotland. Do you have any leads?"

John chewed thoughtfully for a moment before signing. "A few but nothing worth sending you two after. I'll look into 'em, see if they're solid."

The girls shared a look before turning back to their food, a heavy silence filling the kitchen.

"You are an utter and complete bawbag, you know tha'?!" Godfrey's voice rang from the hallway. "A fud! Tha's right! A fud!"

The three Hunters looked to the doorway as his voice got louder and louder, all of them surprised by the outburst.

The Scotsman sauntered into the room, a look of flustered clamness plastered on his face. "Evenin', John," he greeted, nodding to the man as he passed.

"Godfrey," John responded, watching the man with a raised eyebrow.

"This looks wonderful, girls!" he praised as he took his usual seat, his food already set in front of him. "You haven' made this in a long while," he mused, taking a spoonful of chili then a bite of cornbread. "Oh, Charlie love, the cornbread is a little dry."

Charlie's hand slammed down onto the table, the force rattling the silverware and dishes. "The next person who says that the cornbread is dry will be buried in it," she snarled.

Godfrey looked to her in shock while John had the nerve to laugh.

Resisting the urge to throw the cornbread at him as she flipped him off. "Screw you, Winchester."

That only made him laugh harder.

"That's disturbing you know," she stated. "You acting like a normal Human being."

That didn't hinder his mood. "Bite me, Warren."

"Not even with someone else's teeth," she countered.

"Oooooh!" Godfrey crowed, looking between the two of them. "I beleive tha' was a burn!"

Courtney nodded enthusiastically. "It was! It totally was!" she agreed. "Would you like some ice for that burn?"

John chuckled as he shook his head. "Why the fuck do I put up with you people?" he demanded.

And with that the whole table was laughing.

* * *

**I'm toying with the idea of paying some more attention to this story since I'm stuck on my others. It depends. We'll see. **

**Anywho! Thanks for reading and sticking with it despite the horrible update schedule. **

**Reviews=Love **


	18. Shadow Part 1

**June 23****rd****, 2006**

**Manistee National Forest, MI**

**Charlie and Courtney Warren **

"If there wasn't a distinct possibility that we could die this would be really nice," Charlie mused, her head dropped back to watch the canopy of trees as they walked along the trail.

Courtney pulled a face and let out a snort of laugh. "The hell are you talking about? You hate camping."

Charlie spun around to walk backwards, a wide smile on her face. "But I love nature," she explained. "As long as I don't have to sleep out amongst it in a structure made of tarp I'm perfectly fine."

"So you really just have tents," she summarized.

She nodded her head to the side. "Yeah, pretty much."

Courtney gave her a pointed look. "There's something wrong with you."

"Probably," she agreed before turning back around. "Where are we?"

Courtney rolled her eyes and pulled out her GPS. "We're about 6 miles from the graveyard," she answered.

"It's a national forest," Charlie stated, shaking her head. "Who the Hell has a burial plot in a national forest?"

She perked up at that. "Actually, the family has owned the land for generations but everything else around it was bought up and then claimed as a national forest," she explained. "The grandfather still lived out here to take care of the land, that's how the Bearwalker managed to get to him."

"And he was buried out here why?"

"I guess he put it in his will to be buried on the family plot, which happens to be on the land."

"Ugh," Charlie groaned. "When I die don't bury me in the woods."

Courtney gave her another look. "Charlie, we're going to burn you."

Charlie spun back around and gave an overdramatic gasp. "Alive?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, Charlie, alive."

* * *

***6 Miles Later***

"Oh, fuck!" Charlie gasped, jerking back and swinging her arms in front of her face. "What the hell?!" she yelled, pulling off a rather impressive interpretive dance. "How many fucking spider webs does a person have to walk through before Mother Nature is satisfied?!"

Courtney wasn't even trying not to laugh. In fact, she was hunched over in the middle of the trail braying like a donkey.

Charlie rubbed at her face, attempting to get the invisible strands off her skin. "Can we kill Mother Nature?" she asked, even going as far as to shake her hair out. "Is she deity or a goddess?"

Courtney gasped as she struggled to breath.

"I'm serious. This is the fifth time! I'm getting tired of this shit!" she stated, wiping her hands down her pants. "Maybe it would just be easier if we kill off all the spiders. The eradication of an entire species. We have a spell for that, right?"

"Char-" she struggled, crouching down before she had the chance to fall over. "We're not- we're not killing the s-spiders."

"Why not?" she demanded, glaring down at her. "I'm sure we're not the only ones who would benefit from it."

Courtney pulled in a deep breath and pushed herself back up. "Do I need to explain to you the kind of impact it would have on the world? Spiders just can't suddenly die, Charlie."

A childish whine left her and she slumped further against the tree. "I know but it'd be nice."

"You do remember that they eat mosquitos, right?"

Charlie perked back up. "That's right, they do," she mused.

"So they can stay?"

"Sure," she allowed with a shrug. "But I'm rage quitting if I walk through another fucking web."

Courtney nodded. "That's fair, that's fair," she agreed, walking over to her. "We're here though, so I don't think you'll run into one again."

Charlie looked further up the trail to see the fence and cabin. "Huh," she sighed, pushing away from the tree and brushing her ass off. "How long do we have till sunset?"

Pulling out her phone Courtney let out a sigh. "About an hour and a half," she answered.

"Alright, let's get set up."

* * *

***2 Hours Later***

"Somehow this feels like cheating," Courtney stated as she stared through the scope of the rifle.

"Well," Charlie started from her spot beside her, "unless you suddenly have the antidote to magical vertigo I don't know how else we can do this," she said, holding up her night vision goggles to scan the graveyard once again. "Where the Hell is it?"

Courtney sighed and shifted her position, quickly regretting having lied face down on the ground. "We could be here all-" she cut off when she caught movement in the trees. "I've got something. Far right."

Charlie adjusted her gaze and spotted the same movement. "That better not be a grieving family member," she muttered.

She hummed in agreement and followed the figure as it moved through the headstone, making its way to the new grave. She waited to take the shot till it had dropped to its knees and began digging at the fresh dirt, the crack of the rifle echoing through the trees.

"Right in the neck," Charlie told her, watching the Bearwalker stumble and collapse. "Nice shot, little sis."

"Thank you," Courtney said as she pushed herself up. "Let's go check it out."

The pair hiked down to the graveyard, weaving their way through the tombstones till they reached the crumpled mess of fur.

Charlie watched with caution, her hand resting on her holster just in case.

"Jesus, look at this thing," she said, raising her arms above her head, a rather solid wall of fur following them. "This would make an amazing rug."

Charlie couldn't help the snort of laughter that left her. "A rug? Seriously?"

Courtney nodded quickly. "Yeah!"

She nodded her head to the side. "Alright, but I'm not helping you carry that back."

Courtney's smile instantly dropped. "That's not fair," she argued, glaring up at her sister.

"I'll help you fold it but that's it," Charlie told her.

"Deal."

* * *

Much to the relief of the sisters the walk back to the car didn't seem as long as the walk to the cabin, Charlie rattling off the neurological reason behind that as they packed up the car. Courtney, glistening with sweat, threw the easily 40 pound pelt into the back before slamming the trunk, unwilling to admit that maybe she shouldn't have just left the damned thing behind. Once inside the car they took a moment to relax, both of them digging through their bags for their cellphones.

"I have 3 missed calls. Sam, John, and Dad," Courtney noted once she flipped it open.

"Me too. Dean, John, and Dad," Charlie added.

They listened to their respective messages, neither of them needing to ask each other what they were about before peeling out of the parking lot.

"Call Dad," Charlie told her, already dialing on her phone. "I'm going to try and get Dean and Sam."

Courtney nodded and did just that.

"Come on, Dean, pick up, pick up," she grumbled, thundering down the road.

Courtney perked up when the call went through. "Dad!"

_"I was getting worried about you two. Where are you?" _he asked, sounding just as frantic as they were.

"On our way to Chicago," she answered. "But we're at least two hours out and that's only if Charlie floors it the whole way. Where are you?"

_"You're a lot closer than I am and I have no idea where John is," _he told her. _"Listen, Court, this isn't the Yelloe-eyed Demon." _

She nodded. "I know. We've all been watching the Omens and nothing has happened even remotely close to Chicago. This has to be something else."

_"John said the same thing," _he mused. _"Look, both he and I are getting close to something, we're not really sure what, but we are. This could be a trap, for any of us." _

"We'll be careful, Dad," she promised. "But Sam and Dean are walking into this completely blind."

_"What do you mean?" _

Courtney glanced over to Charlie who was still trying to get ahold of the boys. "John hasn't told them about the Demon."

Nathan was quiet for a moment. _"Sometimes I just really want to hit that man. Alright, you two go take care of the boys and I'll get there as soon as I can." _

"Alright, Dad. Be careful."

_"You too, kiddo," _he said before hanging up.

Courtney sighed and looked over to Charlie. "We're the closest ones so we're going to be on our own for a while," she told her. "John thinks that it's a trap."

"Well it's not Yellow-eyes," Charlie agreed. "It can't be. There haven't been any omens and the boys just stumbling onto it is ridiculous."

"You didn't get ahold of them?"

She shook her head. "I swear to God if those two are already dead…." she trailed off, failing to find a threat that fit the situation.

"I know," Courtney mused, leaning back into her seat with a sigh. "Can we really get there in two hours?"

She nodded her head to the side. "Well, we can always do a time questionable arrival."

"Zadkiel?!" Courtney yelled, twisting around to look into the backseat.

The Angel appeared with his usual flutter. "You don't need to shout."

"I'm sorry, but we need you to take us to Chicago."

Confusion pulled at his face. "What's in Chicago?"

Charlie, ever the patient one, looked away from the road to look back at him. "Zad, take us to Dean and Sam!"

"Alright, alright," he said, holding his hands up in surrender before reaching out to grab their shoulders.

With a shimmer the forest was replaced with downtown Chicago.

"FUCK!" Courtney screamed when she saw oncoming headlights, the car almost right on top of them.

Charlie jerked the wheel to the right, the Camaro darting to the correct lane just in time to nearly miss the car, a screech of horn following them. "Jesus Christ," she breathed, looking into the rearview to watch the other car disappear.

"I should have put on a seatbelt," Zadkiel mused as he righted himself in the backseat, his blonde hair tussled and his suit rumpled.

"You should have put us on the right side of the road!" Charlie snapped, glaring back at him.

He glared right back. "You know I can't control that, Charlotte."

"Goddamn Archangel, can't fucking control shit," she muttered, turning back around in her seat to see where they are. "What was the address again?"

"1435 W. Erie," Courtney supplied, peering out the window to read the street signs. "Take the next right," she told her.

Charlie did just that, the tires screeching as it fishtailed around the corner. "They're all fucking warehouses," she grumbled.

Courtney leaned over to read the numbers on the buildings. "1435. Right there!" she said, pointing across the dash to one of the buildings.

Charlie pulled over a few buildings down and killed the engine. "Zad, can you get us in there? Without being seen?"

The Angel looked a little put out. "A 'please' wouldn't go amiss. I did raise you from afar to have manners, didn't I?"

"Please!" the girls chorused.

"Thank you," he said before reaching out to grab their shoulders when one of the windows in the warehouse shattered outwards and a woman fell to the sidewalk.

"Holy shit," Courtney whispered.

"You saw that too, right?"

"Her face?"

"Yeah."

"Yep."

"You've got company," Zadkiel said before disappearing with a flutter.

Charlie frowned and looked back to where he had been sitting when a knock came at her window.

Both girls yelped and jerked around to look over, only a little relieved to find John standing there.

Charlie let out a sigh and reached over to roll down the window. "How long have you-"

"North Lincoln Avenue," he interrupted, looking between her and Courtney. "Roadway Inn. Room 12. Go before they see you."

"Excuse-"

"Go," he ordered before walking back off into the alley he had come from.

Charlie let out a scoff but still started the car up again. "Jesus, he's like a lazy batman," she grumbled, throwing the car into reverse.

"I think it's better that he just walks off rather than disappearing," Courtney muttered, slumping further down into her seat.

"I guess that's true," she muttered, twisting around in her seat to guide the car backward down the street. "Though he's forfeited any positive opinions I formed about him from dinner."

"Agreed."

* * *

**Roadway Inn**

**Chicago Illinois **

**The Warrens &amp; The Winchesters**

Breaking into the hotel room was a lot easier than either of them were comfortable with. Though honestly, when you're a Hunter you tend not to worry about things that are discouraged by locked doors, but anyone else staying here was pretty much fucked.

"Did they see you?" John asked from his spot by the window.

Charlie rolled her eyes as she tucked her lock pick set back into her jacket. "We like them a lot more than we like you, if they had seen us we would have stayed with them," she told him.

He gave her an unamused look. "A simple no would have worked."

Courtney barekd out a laugh. "A simple no has never worked with you," she argued. "If it did then we wouldn't be in this situation."

John didn't comment on that.

She closed the door and locked it again. "So, you've been in town long enough to book a motel room?" She asked. "Why weren't you at the warehouse first?"

"This isn't my room," he denied.

"It's Dean and Sam's," Charlie stated, a smile twitching at her lips. "Are you actually going to interact with them this time?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Yes."

Charlie watched him for a moment and sighed. "But you're not staying," she realized. "You're going to tell them to stop looking for you."

"What else am I supposed to do, Charlie?" He demanded. "They were almost killed tonight because of me."

"You're just assuming that." she challenged. "Just because you're the most obvious pain in the ass doesn't mean everything's about you."

He let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand across his face. "Charlie-"

"She has a point," Courtney cut in.

"If this isn't about me then why did they go after my boys?" He asked.

"Because everyone but them knows what the fuck this is," Charlie said, gesturing around them. "Those two are clueless thanks to you."

John glared at her. "Thanks you, Charlotte."

She flashed him a smile. "You're welcome, Jonathan."

"Seriously you two, don't start," Courtney chastised. "We don't know jack shit till we talk to Sam and Dean, so keep your issues to yourselves."

Both of them gave her a look but didn't argue.

"Why don't you just leave that stuff in the car?"

Everyone's attention snapped over at the sound of Dean's muffled voice in the hallway.

"I said it before and I'll say it again, better safe than sorry," Sam's voice responded.

Courtney and Charlie moved over to the beds and away from the door just as it opened, both of them feeling a little on edge about the impending reunion.

"Hey!" Dean barked out as the brothers stepped in, their attention on John.

Sam flipped on the lights and froze when he recognized who it was.

"Dad?" Dean asked, his voice weak.

The smile on Johns' face was disturbingly loving. "Hey, boys," he greeted.

Dean glanced back at his brother before stepping forward, meeting John halfway across the room in a hug.

Sam hesitated for a moment before stepping forward as well.

"Hi, Sam," John said when he pulled away from Dean.

He gave him a small nod. "Hi, Dad."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Dean spoke up.

"Dad, it was a trap," he stated. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

John nodded with an understanding smile. "It's all right. I thought it might have been," he said, shooting a pointed look at Charlie over Dean's shoulder.

She rolled her eyes. "Bravo, John, do you want a cookie?"

Dean and Sam startled and spun around to face them, surprise bright on both their faces.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked.

"You two called us, honeybuns," Charlie reminded him. "Why wouldn't we be here?"

"After the blonde went through the window we didn't stick around," Courtney explained.

"She was the bad guy, right?" John questioned, looking between his son.

"Yes, sir," both men answered.

Charlie and Courtney grimaced at the conditioned response and got up from the beds.

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me," John continued. "It's tried to stop us before."

Sam perked up at that. "The demon has?"

The sisters looked to each other in surprise. As far as they knew the boys didn't know about the demon.

John nodded. "It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell, actually kill it."

"How?"

John smile again and glanced over to the girls. "I'm working on that."

Sam looked between Dean and John a few times. "Let us come with you. We'll help," he offered.

He sighed and shook his head. "No, Sam. Not yet," he denied. "Listen, try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I don't want you hurt."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us," Sam argued.

"Of course I do, I'm your father."

You could cut the unresolved familiar issues with a knife.

"Listen, Sammy," John started, "the time we were together we had one hell of a fight."

Sam stiffened slightly. "Yes, sir."

John nodded and swallowed hard. "It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

"Too long," Sam agreed.

Again, you could cut the unresolved familiar issues with a knife.

Courtney let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh for God's sake, just hug already!" she snapped.

Both men took the order and stepped forward to hug.

Charlie resisted the urge to awe at the show of uncharacteristic emotional display. She was willing to elt it go on for as long as it needed to when a shiver shot up her spine. She glanced to her sister to see the same look on her face.

"We need to go," they said.

The Winchester boys looked over to them.

"Why?" Sam asked before John was thrown across the room and into the wall.

Sam was next, thrown and dragged to the side while Dean ended up much like his dad.

Charlie and Courtney had both been grabbed at the legs and thrown across the room, both crashing into the wall before being hauled up and held.

Various yelps and shouts of pain filled the apartment as the shadow demons assaulted them.

"Get ready to run!" Charlie yelled. "This won't hold them for long!"

**Et stabit de domino vestro, aliquis**

**Et stabit de domino vestro **

**Audite vocem meam**

Several figures in the room erupted into flames as unearthly screams replaced their own.

Charlie helped Courtney off the floor and all but ran them to the door. The two paused long enough in the hallway to make sure that the Winchesters were following them before heading for the stairs.

Once on the street they all flocked to the Impala, the girls' Camaro and John's Truck were parked on the other side of the building.

"Alright, come on!" Sam gasped as he pulled open the back door. "We don't have much time. As soon as that fires out they'll be back."

"Wait, wait!" Dean said, pulling in a couple of breaths as he looked between his dad and brother. "Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us."

"What?" Sam demanded. "Dean, what are you talking about?"

John shook his head. "You boys, you're beat to hell-"

"We'll be alright," Dean said.

"Charlie and I will take care of them," Courtney told hi.

Sam shook his head. "Dean, we should stick together! We'll go after those demons-"

"Sam, listen to me!" Dean barked out. "We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They've not gonna stop. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right! Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's strong without us around," he said, a horribly pained expression on his face as he looked to his father.

Sam let out a dejected huff and reached out to grab John's shoulder. "Dad, no," he pleaded. "After everything, after all the time we spent looking for you, please. I've got to be a part of this fight."

John placed his hand over his son's "Sammy, this fight is just starting," he reassured him. "And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son."

Sam looked as if he was going to argue when the sound of a roaring engine took over the street.

"He has the best timing," Courtney muttered as they watched the blue Mustang speed down the street.

Once it was close enough it screeched to a halt and the driver climbed out.

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck happened to you guys?"

"Good to see you too, Dad," Charlie greeted, the smile on her face pulling at the cut on her lip.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, rushing around the car to pull her into a side hug. "Princess," he said, pulling Courtney in as well. "John, you actually look better than the last time I saw you."

John let out a humorless laugh. "Wish I could say the same for you, Nathan."

"Dad, we've got Daevas on our tail and we need to separate. Will you take John?" Courtney requested, already pulling open the passenger's door.

He let out a sigh. "Sure, why not? I love it when John Winchester bleeds all over my upholstery," he answered.

He seemed to love that idea as much as Nathan did. He shuffled towards the car before turning back to his boys. "You two stay safe, alright? I'll call when everything's calmed down."

Nathan scoffed. "No he won't but I will," he amended, grabbing hold of John's shoulder and leading him towards the rest of the way to the car. "Stick with my girls and you'll know where he is."

The brothers nodded, albeit a little dumbfounded.

"Oh," Charlie realized, "Dad, this is Honeybuns and Samwise," she introduced, gesturing respectfully.

Both men shot her a look.

"Nice to meet you, Dean, Sam," Nathan said, giving them a nod. "I've heard a lot about you two from my girls. I usually don't get to meet their friends."

"Dad!" both girls protested.

He laughed and stepped over to press a kiss to both their cheeks. "Love you, kiddos. I'll get a hold of you tomorrow, alright?" he asked, running back around the Mustang.

"Love you, Dad!" they called after as he got back in and once again thundered off down the street.

"Alright, come on," Dean grumbled, reaching for the driver's door.

Charlie moved forward and intercepted him. "Your arm is fucked up, let me drive," she told him.

Surprisingly he didn't protest and handed her the keys.

"Court, take Sam," she instructed, tossing her the Camaro's keys.

Courtney nodded. "Stick to the same road but if anything happens split off, alright?" she asked.

"Alright," Charlie agreed.

They went their separate ways at that, Sam walking further ahead with Courtney to the Camaro while Dean and Charlie piled into the Impala.


	19. Shadow Part 2

**June 24****th****, 2006**

**Comfort Inn &amp; Suites**

**Black River Falls, Wisconsin**

**Warrens &amp; Winchesters**

It was 3 AM by the time they stopped, their near five-hour drive putting a comfortable distance between them and the Daevas. Despite it not being a hole-in-the-wall motel the front desk attendant didn't even bat an eye at out bloodied state. She set them up in a room on the first floor towards the back and even threw in some extra towels.

"Alright, who's the worst off?" Charlie asked once they were in the room, already digging through her first aid kit.

"Uh-uh," Courtney said, tossing her bag onto the bed and taking the supplies away from her. "I'm looking at your eye."

Charlie let out a sigh. "Court, my eye is fine."

"You were wiping blood out of it the whole way here," Dean reminded her, giving her a look that wasn't going to be argued with. "She's looking at it."

Charlie relented and turned to her sister. "You know what you're doing right?"

Courtney gave an easy shrug. "Yeah, I mean, I watched a Youtube tutorial about it a while ago."

Charlie watched her for a moment before nodding. "I know you're joking but now I'm going to do it myself," she stated, once again taking the first aid kit. "Take stock of all the cuts, see is any of them need stitches, alright?"

"Alright," Courtney agreed.

Charlie grabbed one of the extra towels and walked into the bathroom.

"You heard her, boys, shirts off!" she said, spinning back around to look at the brothers, a bright smile on her face.

Sam let out a small laugh and shook his head. "I think we should look at your neck first," he negotiated. "I think it's still bleeding."

Courtney's hand reached up and pressed to the side of her neck, the stinging that followed taking her by surprise. She pulled her hand back and saw the fresh blood smeared on her fingers. "Well that can't be good," she muttered. "It should have clotted hours ago…."

Sam shot Dean a concerned look as he stepped over to her. "Here, sit down and I'll take a look," he said, a gentle hand on her shoulder to guide her down.

She plopped down onto the bed and tilted her head to the side. "I thought pre-law students were taught how to stuck blood, not stop it?"

He let out another laugh. "Uh, actually I was going to be a Civil Rights Attorney," he told her. "Mainly Human Rights."

Courtney's face scrunched up. "Jesus Christ. Do you make a conscious effort to be better than everyone else or is it just subconscious?"

"Conscious effort," Dean supplied from his spot on the bed he had claimed.

Sam shot him a look. "It's not about being better than someone. It's about helping someone who needs it."

"Somehow it's almost worse that you're that nice of a person," she admitted. "Typically, as a rule, I don't trust inherently good people."

"Whys that?" he asked, grabbing his bag off the floor and pulling out their own first aid kit.

She gave a small shrug. "People who do things for personal gain are often easier to read," she explained. "If you know what they want then you can predict their actions, coerce their help, sometimes even manipulate them. People who are inherently good usually just want what's best for everyone but themselves, and honestly? They're the most unpredictable people I've ever met."

"Jesus, you sound like your sister," Dean muttered.

She shrugged. "She has her sciences and I have mine."

"Sociology, right?" Sam asked, digging through the smaller bad for what he needed.

Courtney nodded. "Yeah, and some Anthropology if I have the time."

"The Roman texts," he remembered.

"The Roman texts," she agreed.

"What about Charlie?" Dean asked. "What does she do?"

"She does Biochemical Engineering and Biomedical Sciences," Charlie answered as she stepped out of the bathroom, the scratches than ran from the top her right eyebrow and down to her cheek cleaned and bandaged with several butterfly closures, particularly the one that mercifully missed her eye. "But if I'm to be completely honest, I don't know what I'm doing half the time."

"Charlie, you figured out a ghosts date of death from the ectoplasm it left behind."

Charlie snapped her fingers and pointed to her sister. "Yes, but I have no idea how I did that and I have not been able to do it again," she admitted, setting the first aid kit onto the bed next to Dean. "I'm sure if I had actually gone to school for this shit I might be able to but, you know, Hunting."

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "You're teaching yourself this stuff?"

"It has been a long and agonizing struggle, believe me," she grumbled. "At least Court's study focus is literally the entire Human population."

Courtney dropped her head back to give her a wide, sarcastic smile. "You're just jealous that I'm the better learner."

Charlie scoffed. "No, you just picked the easier hobby."

She scoffed back. "Sociology is not a hobby, Charlotte."

"No, it's just one big social experiment."

"Remind me, how's that Shape Shifter Skin Graft going?"

Charlie spun around and glared down at her. "I'm at the point of Human testing, would you like to be my first subject?"

"Oh my God," Dean groaned, pushing himself up, "if you two are going to keep this up I'm sleeping in the car."

Both women looked to each other but didn't pursue their bickering, instead sharing a small smile.

"Hey, Samwise," Charlie mused, reaching into her kit and pulling out the Chlorohexidine Acetate, "would you mind using this instead of the peroxide? It's just-" she cut off when Sam held up the same blue bottle. A bright smile stretched across her face and she turned to Dean. "You actually got it?" she asked, the endearment in her voice awfully hard to miss.

Dean almost looked bashful as he ducked his head and cleared his throat. "Course I did. You were like a damn infomercial for the stuff."

Charlie bit her lip and reached out for him, grabbing hold of his face and tilting it up to her. "I fucking adore you," she said before kissing his forehead, being mindful of his cuts.

Dean froze at that, a small shock running through him at the bluntness of it. He let himself enjoy it, like he always did whenever she gave her attention willingly. He leaned into her a little and reached up with his good hand to touch the side of her leg, his fingers brushing the side of her thigh.

She smiled against his skin and gave him one more kiss before leaning back. "Will you let me look at your cuts?" she requested, knowing full well that he wasn't going to deny her.

He let out an affirmative hum. "Sure, sweetheart."

"Thank you, honeybuns," she said, rubbing her thumbs across his cheeks before letting him go. "Let's get those layers off of you."

Dean smirked up at her. "You know, I'm starting to think that you Warren's just want to see me shirtless," he stated.

Charlie nodded her head to the side. "Well, if the rest of you is as perky as your ass I wouldn't say no to a look."

"Oh my God," Courtney groaned, "if you two are going to keep this up I'm sleeping in the car."

Dean scoffed. "Please, Tweedy, don't act like you're not interested."

She scoffed back and flipped him off over her shoulder.

"Play nice you two," Charlie teased. "Come on, layers off."

Dean sighed and sat up a little straighter, a groan leaving him as he tried to pull his jacket off.

Charlie shooed his hands away and maneuvered the jacket off of him. "Damn, it got you good," she mused, looking down at the jagged cut on his arm. She grabbed his button up and pulled it off him, taking extra care of the cut. She tossed the clothes to the side and dug into the kit, pulling out the gaze and medical tape. She grabbed the washcloth she had brought out with her and unscrewed the cap from the Chlorohexidine Acetate bottle. "This is going to hurt a little bit more than the peroxide," she warned him, dousing the washcloth with a generous amount of the blue liquid.

"Sweetheart, you say that like it's daunting," he muttered.

"I'm just warning you," she said before pressing it to the cut.

Dean grimaced but didn't cause a fuss. "It's not too bad."

Charlie smirked and set to cleaning the blood off. "Well, the good news is I don't think you'll need stitches," she mused.

"Pretty sure none of us do," Courtney spoke up. "It's kind of weird, but I don't think they were trying to kill us."

"Yeah, I don't think so either," Charlie agreed. "They could have killed us in a heartbeat if they really wanted to."

"So they were toying with us?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"Cause they still wanted Dad," Dean answered, giving him a pointed look.

Charlie shook her head as she grabbed the bandages. "I hope you know that that means blondie is still alive," she said. "Or there's someone else controlling them."

Dean let out a frustrated sigh. "That's just great," he grumbled.

"You did take care of the alter, right?" Courtney asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, yeah, we took care of it."

"How?" Charlie pressed.

"I flipped the table."

Both girls stared down at him, slight annoyance and disturbance on their faces. "You're not serious," they said.

Sam glanced over to his brother. "Yeah?"

Charlie let out a frustrated sigh and looked back to Dean's arm.

"What?" he asked, looking up to Courtney.

She gave him a soft smile. "You didn't do anything wrong," she assured him. "It's just that sometimes when magic isn't unraveled, piece by piece, it can still do things," she explained. "So, despite the fact that you up ended the table there could still be a part of it that's working."

"Often times witches will weave in a contingency plan into their alters and spells, something that will give them an out if things don't go their way," Charlie continued. "Granted, it takes very specific and delicate spell work but it's not impossible."

"Fucking witches, man," Dean grumbled. "So we didn't stop shit? Is that what you're saying?"

Charlie shook her head. "No, we're just saying that it's probably not over."

A sour look twisted across his face. "It's never fucking over."

"And that's the tedious reality of our lives," Courtney deadpanned. "It's a little rude of them all, don't you think?"

"Just a little," Sam agreed, through the smile on his face showed more amusement than hatred for the job. "Alright, you're good," he said, smoothing his thumb over the last piece of medical tape. "It might not look as nice as Charlie's but it'll do."

Courtney reached up and touched the bandage. "It's a lot better than whatever I could have done," she praised. "Thank you, Jolly Green."

"You're welcome, pipsqueak."

"Okay, you're turn," she said, sliding off the bed.

Sam shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "I can take care of it, it's not that bad."

She watched him for a moment, taking in the almost pleading look in his eyes. "Fine, but Charlie's going to look at it when you're done."

He nodded and pushed himself back up to his feet, gathering up the supplies and stepping into the bathroom.

There was a beat of silence before Courtney let out a sigh. "Alright, I'm starving," she stated, jumping up from the bed. "I'm going to go raid the vending machines."

"Cheetos," Charlie said, keeping her attention on Dean's arm. "Mountain Dew."

Dean flashed her a smile. "What she said."

Courtney snapped her fingers and pointed to them. "You got it. I don't suppose Sam would actually eat anything processed?"

"If he's hungry he will."

She nodded and snatched her bag up off the floor. "Brb," she said before disappearing through the door.

Charlie worked for a moment longer before taping it off. "How does that feel? Not too tight?"

Dean tested out his arm and shook his head. "It's perfect, sweetheart."

"Good, now let me see that face of yours," she said, grabbing the washcloth again.

He tilted his head up and closed his eyes.

"You know," she started, cleaning around the cuts, "a part of me kind of wants the one over my eye to scar."

Dean's brow furrowed. "What? Why?"

She laughed. "Every bad ass has a scar going down their eye," she stated, sounding like it made all the sense in the world. "I mean, this one even goes through my eyebrow!"

He cracked an eye open to look at the cut she was refereeing to. It did go through her eyebrow but it also came awfully close to her eye itself. The cut picked back up just above her cheekbone and nearly reached the corner of her mouth. The other cuts that went with that one weren't as deep and not as long, though they were still upsetting. "I don't know, sweetheart, I kind of like your face the way it is."

"Kind of?" Charlie accused.

He flashed her a smirk. "Kind of."

She scoffed. "Well then, I'm kind of going to take care of your face," she sassed, pressing a little harder than she needed to.

Dean winced but didn't lose his smirk. "You're the one who has to wake up next to it in the morning."

"I'll just sleep with Sam."

He let out a grunt. "That's up to you, sweetheart, but I wouldn't recommend it. He snores and he kicks, and he won't apologize for it in the morning."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"Years of it," he answered.

Charlie hummed and grabbed the packet of butterfly closures. "Well, you've got me now. I promise to be a much better bed buddy than him."

He barked out a laugh. "Bed buddy?" he demanded.

"I was going to say bunk mate but that sounded too summer camp so you get bed buddy," she explained with a shrug. "I think we should get letterman jackets. Bed Buddies bedazzled across the back with our initials on the front."

Dean pulled a face. "Yeah, you get right on that, sweetheart."

She chuckled and placed the last closure. "Alright, maybe leather jackets instead," she reasoned.

"What about those leather vest things that bikers wear?" he asked. "With the patches?"

She shook her head quickly, a frantic look on her face. "No. Hell no. You go walking around with a cut and a patch and you'll attract a lot of unwanted attention from actual gangs," she told him. "You'll get yourself killed, little lone the shit beat out of you."

He arched an eyebrow. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

She shook her head. "I'm not that stupid," she denied. "Anyone who doesn't take gang territories or their insignias seriously are just asking to get fucked."

He stared up at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Should I be worried that we can go from bed buddies to biker gangs in the same conversation?"

"I think it's nice actually," she answered. "How we can talk about anything."

"Usually at three in the morning."

Charlie nodded her head to the side. "You know, Poltergeists are most active at three AM. It's been theorized that it's a taunt towards the Holy Trinity. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost. Court and I looked into it when we were studying them but couldn't find any solid proof that that was true."

"See, it's shit like that that gets me worried," he stated. "Where does that even come from? Do you have a list?"

"No, I just have a wealth of seemingly useless information that pops up at inconvenient times. Heavy on the inconvenient part," she muttered, tossing the rest of her supplies into the kit and zipping it closed. "I'd apologize but I'm passed the point of caring."

Dean shook his head. "Nah, you're too smart to apologize for something like that," he stated. "Sammy has the same problem."

"What problem do I have?" Sam asked, appearing from the bathroom.

Dean gave him a bitch face. "Saying smart shit on purpose and not being sorry about it."

Sam scoffed and pulled an equally bitchy face. "I'm not going to apologize for being smart."

Dean looked back to Charlie. "See?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're both equally intelligent," she stated. "Your talents just lie in different fields, like me and Court. No one would call me less intelligent because I can't do what she does, and no one would call her less intelligent because she can't do what I do. It's all about counterbalance. If you both were good at the same thing then you'd be handicapped and shit would hit the fan sooner or later. You'd both probably be dead by now."

The brothers looked to each other, both of them clearly uncomfortable at the attention.

A knock at the hotel door broke the sudden awkwardness in the room.

"I forgot the key card thing!" Courtney's voice called form the hall.

Sam jumped to it and pulled open the door, a shocked look replacing his uncomfortable one when he saw the amount of junk food piled in Courtney's arms. "What did you do? Break it open like a bear?"

She pulled a face and pushed past him. "Please, I picked the lock."

"Courtney, I told you to stop doing that!" Charlie snapped.

"What? I left a fifty behind," she defended, dropping the goodies onto the unoccupied bed. "Besides, it's not my fault they make the locks so easy."

Charlie rolled her eyes. "And yet you gave me shit about burning that tent down," she pointed out. "You're a hypocrite, you know that?"

"You setting a tent full of people on fire and me picking the lock on a vending machine are two completely different things," Courtney defended as she sorted through it all.

"I set that tent on fire because people were going to die, you broke into that vending machine like a bear cause you have the 3 AM munchies," Charlie pointed out. "You're right, those are two completely different things."

Courtney scoffed and threw a bag of Cheetos at her. "Shut up and eat your dinner."

Charlie smirked and tore open the bag of Cheetos.


End file.
